“Flightstar, which is based at Willard airport, maintains Embraer jets for American Airlines, so we were able to get a behind-the-scenes look at the aircraft in preparation for our trip,” said Brian Woodard, AE Director of Undergraduate Programs, who is leading an 8-week pre-trip class along with Academic Advisor and Coordinator of the Undergraduate Program Laura Gerhold.
Gerhold said the pre-trip class provides the students with fundamental aviation information they’ll all need when visiting the Embraer facility, but the trip goes much further than academics.
“A short international trip like this one gives students a safe, controlled travel experience,” she said. “We would like all of our undergrads to study abroad at some point in their four years at Illinois. This trip gives them a taste of what it will be like and hopefully sparks their interest and gives them the confidence they need to go for a longer study program.”
Information about this particular program and trip is available here.
General study abroad program information is available here.