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Middle Georgia State aviation students get new airspace

Middle Georgia State University Aviation School gets new airspace to create a safer learning environment for its students.

Students take flight with less fear at Middle Georgia State University. After collaboration with the FAA, a designated box is now in place so other pilots in the area know students are soaring.

The space will show up as an active box to other pilots and be dictated to pilots before taking off in the area through the tower.

This serves as an alert and a form of awareness to the airspace.

Gene Behrends, a flight instructor at Middle Georgia State, says this is a welcomed precaution.

"Every now and then, an airplane comes whizzing through and they didn't know we were there, and it can be kinda hazardous if you're not keeping your eyes open, so with this protected airspace, it's called an aerobatic, and aerobatic practice area, just makes it a little, a lot safer."

Aviation student Amanda Caixeiro says the box aids in the multi-tasking that comes with flying an aircraft.

"You're always dividing your attention by a lot of things, you're always looking at your engine gauges, air speed, your altitude, other planes, if you're doing instrument stuff, you're really focusing on the inside of the airplane, so i think it's really important to have this box that way, you don't really run into this traffic."

Another student pilot, Madeline Starr, says this designated space keeps them safer.

"It brings awareness to the area, by allowing us as pilots, or people who are, or even the flight instructors to be on the lookout for us to let them know that we're out there, you know, we're not the fastest planes out there so, you know, it's always good to have your head on the swivel.

Students at the aviation school take lessons to one day become anywhere from commercial airline pilots to acrobatic pilots.

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