A terminal that sat empty at Columbia Regional Airport for nearly four years has a new job: turning out commercial pilots. Moberly Area Community College is preparing to welcome its first class of 16 aviation students into a newly renovated training facility built inside the airport's old 1968 terminal building, with classes set to begin next Monday, August 24.
The building had been vacant since the airport opened its new $23 million, 52,000-square-foot terminal in October 2022, according to Airport Improvement. MACC and the City of Columbia entered into a lease agreement in 2024 that initially provided about 1,900 square feet of space in the old terminal, and MACC has since added 1,057 square feet for a Redbird flight simulator and additional training space, according to ABC 17 News. Under the broader lease terms authorized by the Columbia City Council in December 2023, MACC pays $15 per square foot annually to occupy the space, according to 93.9 The Eagle.
MACC has poured more than $350,000 into renovating the space, which now includes classrooms, faculty offices, student learning spaces, and an FAA-approved advanced aviation training device simulator, per the outlet's report. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the former terminal to mark the opening. The program itself was first announced in 2023, giving the college roughly three years to convert an unused municipal building into a functioning flight school.
Addressing a Widening Pilot Shortage
Ed Longoria, director of MACC's Aviation Commercial Pilot Program, said the effort is meant to help address a shortage of pilots that he said is expected to reach 24,000 openings in 2026. He also pointed to a Boeing forecast projecting a shortage of 660,000 pilots globally over the next 20 years. The program emphasizes technical training, safety, and industry standards, and it is intended to prepare students for careers as professional pilots.
That shortage has already had ripple effects locally. MACC President Dr. Todd Martin noted last August that pilot shortages have directly impaired air service at regional airports like Columbia Regional, because major carriers have recruited pilots away from regional airlines, constraining local route expansion, according to KBIA. The airport currently hosts commercial passenger flights from American Airlines and United Airlines, with direct connections to hubs including Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Denver, per FlightConnections.
Two Years, Six Semesters, No Summers Off
MACC's Associate of Applied Science in Aviation Commercial Pilot degree runs six consecutive semesters across two years with no summer breaks, according to Missourinet. Graduates are expected to earn private pilot, instrument rating, and commercial pilot credentials along with 250 to 300 flight hours. The FAA Part 141 program is structured as an accelerated track that can be completed in two years, and flight training is provided through MACC's partnership with ATD Flight Systems, a Kansas City-based provider headquartered at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport that has operated under FAA Part 141 rules for 20 years.
Students in the program will be exposed to both general and commercial aviation operations, as well as the day-to-day work of operating an airport, learning within an active airfield rather than an isolated training strip. Columbia Regional Airport Manager Michael Parks said the facility gives previously unused airport space a new role. Aviation students must also pass the Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Examination, a requirement mandated for all public associate degree candidates under Missouri Senate Bill 807.
A Local Path Into the Cockpit
For area high schoolers, the program's arrival in central Missouri matters as much as its curriculum. Cesar Banales, a 2026 Moberly High School graduate now among the incoming students, noted that having the program locally significantly lowers tuition and living costs by letting students train while still living at home, according to KBIA's more recent reporting. Traditional flight academies often require students to relocate out of state at considerable expense, a barrier this arrangement removes for central Missouri residents.
The aviation program marks MACC's second educational facility partnership with the City of Columbia at the airport, following an existing lease MACC uses for its commercial driver's license training program. Founded in 1927 as Moberly Junior College, MACC now serves between 4,000 and 5,600 students across five campuses in Moberly, Columbia, Hannibal, Kirksville, and Mexico, according to Wikipedia. Whether the first cohort of 16 students can parlay their 250 to 300 flight hours into the 1,000 to 1,500 hours required for airline transport pilot certification, and whether regional carriers can retain them once they're qualified, remains to be seen as the inaugural class begins classes next Monday.
