Utah State University Opens New Aviation Training Facility in Brigham City

BRIGHAM CITY, Utah — Utah State University celebrated the grand opening of its second aviation training facility in northern Utah on Tuesday, welcoming students, faculty and the public to an open house at the Brigham City Regional Airport.

The new facility will provide expanded flight training opportunities for students in USU’s growing professional pilot degree program, which has seen a significant increase in enrollment over the past year.

Bruce Miller, head of USU’s Aviation Technology Department, explained the reasoning behind the expansion.

“We now have about 680 students enrolled in our aviation programs for fall 2024, which is about 90 more students than last year,” he said. “With our program's growth, the airspace for flight training in Cache Valley has become more congested, so opening a training location in Brigham City made sense. It offers additional flight opportunities for our students and better weather conditions, particularly in winter.”

The new Brigham City location offers fixed-wing training and serves students from both northern Utah and the Wasatch Front. According to Miller, approximately 25% of USU’s aviation students commute from the Wasatch Front, and this new location provides them with a more convenient training site.

"This not only helps the Logan-based students by reducing some of the demand on our facilities but also benefits students who have traveled longer distances for training,” Miller added.

Academic adviser Kaylee Roholt highlighted how the new facility aligns with USU’s land-grant mission by extending education to more communities.

“We have 10 students flying out of Brigham this fall, including some from the Wasatch Front and others who jumped at the opportunity to get flying sooner by taking an open seat in Brigham City,” Roholt said. “The smaller class sizes and better weather conditions are really appealing for many of our students. This addition helps us alleviate demand on the Logan campus while empowering more students to achieve their dreams.”

USU’s aviation students are passionate about their training, and many aspire to careers as commercial airline pilots.

“Our professional pilot students are exceptional,” Roholt said. “They’re drawn to this program because they see the incredible career opportunities it opens up for them. Flight training is challenging, but our students are driven by their passion and commitment to achieving their goals.”

While the Brigham City expansion focuses on flight training, USU's aviation maintenance program will continue to operate in Logan, with plans to extend further to the USU Eastern in Price and the program’s teaching facility at the Carbon County Regional Airport. Miller confirmed that Airframe and Powerplant certificate programs are slated to launch at USU Eastern in Fall 2025 and 2026, respectively.

As projections for the aviation industry remain strong, with continued demand expected for commercial pilots both domestically and globally, USU is committed to preparing the next generation of aviation professionals, Miller said. The Brigham City campus expansion marks another step forward in fulfilling that mission.

For more information about Utah State University’s Aviation Program, visit avte/usu.edu.