WMU College of Aviation - Education Center and Flight Operations
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In 1997, the College of Aviation found its home. During the over 80 years of the aviation programs history, “home” floated from place to place. However, in 1997 that all changed when the aviation operations moved to the W.K. Kellogg airport in Battle Creek, Michigan. Not only did this move provide a permanent home for the expanding program, it also provided the foundation for the formal establishment of the College of Aviation and its ability to deliver comprehensive aviation programs in flight, maintenance and management. In 2021, the College of Aviation continued solidifying its commitment to the Battle Creek Executive Airport at Kellogg Field (as it is now known) with the completion of the renovated and expanded Aviation Education Center.
WMU Aviation Education Center
Located on the east side of the Battle Creek Executive Airport, the College occupies over 135,000 square feet on 20 acres of the field. The Flight Operations Building is the former airport terminal and tower. Its space is now devoted to administrative offices, flight planning areas, and flight briefing/debriefing rooms. Immediately to the south of the Flight Operations Building is the Aviation Education Center. The renovated and expanded building features 11 classrooms, a student lounge over looking the flight line, the BTL Bistro, expanded flight simulator laboratory, a paint lab, Captain Dave's Aviation Emporium, 25 flight planning briefing rooms, the aviation advising department, faculty offices and many features highlighting the passion that is aviation, including the outside fire-pit!
Further to the south, the College possesses four main storage hangars and the Aircraft Maintenance Building. This building includes four classrooms and laboratories and six engine test cells. Located between the AEC and the Aircraft Maintenance Building is Hangar 4. This hangar provides additional space for the expanding aviation maintenance program.
The Simulator Lab is located within the Aviation Education Center and houses a 737-Max flight training device, three Cirrus SR-20 Advanced Flight Training Devices—FTD's—and a Redbird full motion multiengine simulator.
Battle Creek Executive Airport at Kellogg Field
The airport is equipped with three runways and a state of the art air traffic control tower. The largest runway at the airport is over 10,000 feet long, making it the fourth longest runway in the state of Michigan.
Battle Creek—10,004 feet, KBTL
Detroit—12,000 feet, KDTW
Grand Rapids—10,000 feet, KGRR
Marquette—12,300 feet, KSAW
Oscoda—11,800 feet, KOSC