ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is taking its aviation program to new heights with the construction of a new School of Aviation building, expected to open in the summer of 2027.
The new facility is designed to support the university’s rapidly growing aviation program and provide students with expanded classroom space, updated technology, and hands-on training opportunities. For aviation student Atreyu Cooper, the project represents a major step forward for ECSU.
“I feel like it used to be seen as a small hidden gem in Northeastern North Carolina,” Cooper said. “But this is definitely making us a bigger competitor, showing that we’re more serious about bringing in a lot more students.”
Watch related coverage: ECSU chancellor details how $42 million gift will be used to support students and campus programs
Cooper is studying flight education with the goal of becoming a pilot. He says the current aviation program has outgrown its existing space inside the university’s STEM building.
“We have some ground classes that we have to run multiple times to accommodate all of our students,” Cooper explained. “So being able to have our own classrooms and more availability as far as those rooms will definitely help.”
According to ECSU School of Aviation Director of Operations Nicholas Lenczycki, the new building will feature several specialized training areas aimed at preparing students for careers across the aviation industry.
“We’ve got three primary lab spaces that are going to be in this building,” Lenczycki said. “A UAS area that’s going to support our unmanned aircraft systems program, a flight simulator lab that’s going to have a number of new simulators for our aviation and flight students, and we’re also going to have a new ATC facility for an enhanced air traffic control program that we’re looking to get.”
Watch previous coverage: ECSU Aviation Training Center remains on track for fall 2026 opening
The unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, program focuses on drone technology, and the new facility will include a large indoor space where students can test and operate drones. There will also be a sky bridge linking the two buildings of the facility together, with the building constructed high enough to resemble a control tower.
Lenczycki said the university has received strong support from state lawmakers to help fund the expansion and strengthen the future aviation workforce.
“This industry has just suffered from a lack of pilots, lack of mechanics, lack of air traffic controllers, as well as just a lack of management personnel,” he said. “So it’s a wonderful industry to be in whether you’re interested in flying planes, fixing planes, controlling planes, or managing the teams that do.”
In addition to the new aviation facility on campus, ECSU is expanding flight training opportunities across North Carolina. The university has already made progress on a training center in Currituck County and recently opened another in partnership with Lenoir Community College in Kinston.
The university hopes these investments will help train the next generation of aviation professionals while continuing to grow ECSU’s presence in the aviation industry. Elizabeth City State University is also considered one of the most affordable collegiate aviation programs in the country. The university participates in the NC Promise Plan, which means heavily subsidized tuition for some in state and even out of state students.
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