HU joins group to increase safety and enhance the future of aviation

HU joins group to increase safety and enhance the future of aviation

Hampton University has been named an affiliate member of the FAA Center of Excellence Partnership to Enhance General Aviation Safety, Accessibility and Sustainability (PEGASAS) group. The PEGASAS group is a part of the newly established FAA Center of Excellence led by Purdue University, The Ohio State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology.  

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently established the Air Transportation Center of Excellence (COE) for general aviation.  The COE will focus research and testing efforts on safety, accessibility and sustainability to enhance the future of general aviation.

The FAA’s COE program is a cost-sharing research partnership between academia, industry and the federal government.  Research and development efforts by PEGASAS will cover a broad spectrum of general aviation safety issues, including airport technology, propulsion and structures, airworthiness, flight safety, fire safety, human factors, system safety management and weather.

Hampton University’s Department of Aviation is the only Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in America with a FAA approved air traffic control instruction program. Graduates from the HU aviation programs have established careers as pilots for the military and commercial airplanes and serve in airports and air traffic control towers across the country.  

The FAA established the first Center of Excellence for General Aviation in 2001 through a 10-year agreement to conduct general aviation research in airport and aircraft safety areas.  The research topics included pilot training, human factors, weather, Automatic Dependent Surveillance/Broadcast (ADS-B), remote airport lighting systems and other matters.

As the first Center of Excellence for General Aviation research concludes, the new team will continue critical research, testing and education efforts. The FAA intends to invest a minimum of $500,000 per year during the first five years of the new, 10-year agreement with PEGASAS.