Air Force ROTC program helps future pilots achieve their dreams

Through faculty mentorship, scholarship support, and flight simulation training, the Department of Aerospace Studies provides opportunities for students to become aviators.
AFROTC Det 155 students
Aviation scholarship award-winners on the University of Miami campus. Photo: Jonathan Smith

“Fighter pilot” is on the list of admirable professional aspirations that faculty at the University of Miami help students reach.

The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) is a nationwide program that trains students to become United States Air Force officers during their time in college. At the University of Miami, the program is housed in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Aerospace Studies.

Sean McIlwaine, a cadet in Detachment 155 at the University, recently received scholarship funding from the Air Force program You Can Fly to support the expenses accompanying flight training. He applied to this program at the recommendation of Maj. Pamela Blanco-Coca, an assistant professor of aerospace studies in the college and the detachment’s operations flight commander.

McIlwaine was one of nine cadets from Detachment 155 who received aviation-focused grants through the Air Force’s You Can Certify and You Can Fly programs. These programs provide flight training to introduce cadets to aviation and support their flying ambitions. You Can Fly offers a $5,000 grant to expose cadets to flight training, while You Can Certify provides a $20,000 grant to help cadets obtain their private pilot’s license.

Image credit: Sebastian Gutierrez
Cadet Maria Hernandez in flight. Photo: Sebastian Gutierrez

“Both grants offer valuable opportunities for cadets to gain hands-on aviation experience and further their passion for flying,” said Lt. Col. Regina Purnell-Adams, the detachment commander and professor of aerospace studies at the college.

McIlwaine attributes receiving the scholarship to the unwavering support he receives from faculty in the program. Every student in the Department of Aerospace Studies is considered for scholarship opportunities.

“Lieutenant Colonel Purnell-Adams offers coffee with the commander every Friday for cadets to sit in her office and talk about their goals or anything else going on in our lives,” he said. “Our detachment feels unique in how welcoming it is while maintaining high levels of rigor.”

McIlwaine is a sophomore at the University of Miami College of Engineering pursuing a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering as well as a minor in aerospace studies at the College of Arts and Sciences. He completes the curriculum requirements for his minor through his involvement in the AFROTC program.

In addition to his studies, McIlwaine serves as the deputy commander of Flight Ops, one of four Detachment 155 clubs for students pursuing air force aviation careers.

Scholarships and mentorship aren’t the only ways the Department of Aerospace Studies supports students’ flight dreams. In 2023, the department inaugurated a new flight simulator, the cutting-edge Redbird TD2, which helps aspiring pilots gain flying experience. The new simulator is located in the D’Angelo III Simulator Training Facility in the Aerospace Studies building.

For students interested in the AFROTC program but unsure about committing to military service, there is a two-year period during freshman and sophomore year that they can partake in the AFROTC without any military obligation.



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