Our Facilities
The aviation industry is rapidly growing, providing a wide range of career opportunities. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport alone hosts more than 40 companies and Arizona flight schools and is developing as an international aerospace center with aircraft maintenance, modification, testing, and pilot training.
As the foremost flight school Arizona, our aviation program is second-to-none. Our aggressive placement program includes thousands of alumni who serve as a valuable networking resource. UND graduates are employed by major and regional airlines throughout the world, as well as corporate flight departments, aircraft manufacturers, NASA, and the FAA.
Whether you are looking for a change in career or looking to start your formal education, UND Aerospace has the right program to meet your needs and help you fulfill your dreams.
Location
The Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is located in the southeast corner of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Originally known as Williams Air Force Base (WAFB), Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport was built in 1941 as an aircraft maintenance and pilot training facility during World War II. The facility would go on to become one of the premier Arizona flight schools for military aviators at the time, and a big part of American Aviation history, producing well over 26,000 pilots in its 52 years as an Air Force base.
The base was closed down in 1993 and re-opened as a civilian airport under the name Williams Gateway Airport the following year. The airport has undergone many changes since then, including the construction of new runways and hangars to accommodate its vast civilian aviation operations. In 2007, the name of the airport was again changed to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.
Arizona flight training at Gateway airport provides exceptional services with the controlled Class D (Delta) airspace. This airspace is home to charter companies and airlines providing you opportunities to get real-world flying experiences. You may taxi to the active runway behind an Airbus 320 or land behind a fighter jet departing to military airspace located throughout the southwest. The Gateway airport will have you fully immersed in a truly professional pilot setting. Both towered and non-towered airports are spread across the Phoenix Valley providing excellent learning opportunities for every level of your pilot training.
What Makes Arizona Ideal for Flight Schools?
In the Phoenix Metro Area, you'll find everything from fine dining to exhilarating recreational adventure activities, breathtaking golf courses, trendy shopping, modern nightlife, and enriching culture. No matter what time of year it is, you can count on exceptional weather as you experience the rich diversity the Phoenix area has to offer. Phoenix celebrates over 340 days of beautiful sunshine and warm weather yearly. This unique desert climate provides numerous opportunities to complete flight training on, or ahead of, schedule. This is one of the main reasons why we chose to establish our flight training center in Arizona. Looking for a winter weather flying experience? Northern Arizona also offers seasonal winter weather beginning only an hour north of the Phoenix area.
Apart from the exceptional weather, the anticipated expansion of the airport following its transition into civilian operations made it a very attractive location for flight training in Arizona. The state also boasts a large amount of uninhibited airspace, a feature that is particularly helpful for pilots looking to acquire more flying experience or conduct maneuvers that are typically restricted elsewhere.
Just like the Air Force base that became the Gateway Airport, our Flight Training Center has established itself as one of the premier Arizona flight schools and a global leader in aerospace education. Our partnership of over 25 years with Arizona's very own Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) has helped us create a dynamic learning community for our student pilots to gain the knowledge and skills they need to excel as pilots.
Facilities
UND Aerospace flight school Arizona has a sprawling campus located at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. With multiple buildings, there is always space for everyone to train. The aviation training devices, or simulators, are housed in a separate facility designed to provide the best atmosphere for the high-resolution wrap-around visuals. The multiple buildings also house rooms for briefing or studying, classroom spaces, and office spaces for flight leadership and support staff.
The Dispatch center will issue you your aircraft for the day, help you set your flight schedule, and monitor all aircraft statuses to ensure safe, timely returns to base. Inside the hangar, the UND Aerospace on-site maintenance department ensures that aircraft are ready to fly and meet the student's needs and our high aviation safety standards.
