SAVOY -- Some stories start at what seems like the end.
In July 2011, the University of Illinois' Institute of Aviation was staring down its own expiration date. The Board of Trustees had just voted to close the program, with the move going to effect in August 2014 so students could finish out their degrees.
"We thought that it was over," said Sybil Phillips, chief pilot at the time.
The decision came after several months of deliberation over the program's future. During that time, some members of the community, including institute staff and alumni, called on UI to keep the program open and cited its impact on the aviation industry and Willard Airport.
Then-Urbana Chancellor Robert Easter, who later served as president of UI from 2012 to 2015, cited declining enrollment and said that ending undergraduate programs in aviation could save the campus as much as $750,000 on an annual basis.
However, Easter noted that the program might be able to continue -- if Parkland College was willing to take it on.
Parkland's board of trustees ultimately voted in September of 2013 to do just that.
"It was exciting for us to have found a home," said Phillips, who became the first director and chief pilot of the Institute of Aviation at Parkland and still works there part-time as an instructor.
The final students from UI's Institute of Aviation graduated in 2014, which marked "the official passing of the baton," said Director of Aviation Wendy Evans.
"Time flies -- no pun intended -- but it's hard to believe it's been 10 years already," she said. "But each year we continue to grow. And the intent is that the institute that started in 1946 will continue for many, many, many, many years to come."
To celebrate the milestone, the college will host a reunion for alumni from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sept. 28 at Flightstar, which is located within Willard Airport at 7 Airport Rd. More information and a link to RSVP are available at parkland.edu.
Aviation alumni from both UI and Parkland are invited to attend, Evans said.
As of Aug. 21, 128 students were enrolled in the program, meaning that it is just about at capacity, she said.
Career aspirations vary among Parkland's aviation students.
Third-year student Ella Beelier would like to be a corporate or airline pilot but is open to any job she can find in the industry.
Fellow third-year Audrey Boudreau said that, realistically, her goal is to be an airline pilot and travel internationally -- though she also likes the idea of being a stunt pilot.
"I want to teach for a while," said second-year student Brooke Foreman. "So not even just instructing, but teaching in a school would be really fun. And then after that, I'll hopefully graduate to become an officer in the military."
All three students also attend UI.
Before coming to Parkland, Foreman attended a program that she described as a corporate "fire hose" aviation school.
"The fire hose was going real slow, so I knew I wanted to go back to college," she said. "UI had already accepted me prior, so I found out about Pathways and I was like, 'I can do everything I want to do in one spot.' And I couldn't think of anywhere better to be than here."
Boudreau also tried a different aviation program before settling on Parkland. She previously attended a Part 61 flight school, but she decided that being in an in-person class was more helpful than online learning.
At Part 61 schools -- as opposed to a Part 141 program like Parkland -- students learn at their own pace with their own instructor rather than in a classroom setting, Beelier explained.
"They also, usually, are based out of smaller airports," Boudreau said. "And since this is more of a college environment, I feel like you're learning with a lot more people."
"The support here is unmatched," Foreman said. "No one wants you to fail."
By comparison, she said that a Part 61 school can be more of a sink-or-swim experience where you don't get as much help.
The institute isn't without its challenges, of course; Boudreau said that students only have so much time in the plane "to learn everything that you need to learn for your next test."
"You have to have really good time management," Beelier agreed.
Since taking over the program, Parkland has graduated:
56 students with an associate degree of science in aviation96 students with a private pilot license certificate56 students with an instrument certificate51 students with a commercial certificate91 students with an Unmanned Aircraft Systems certificate (either basic or advanced)
Evans noted that the students who received associate degrees are likely also counted in the number of certificate recipients.
Aside from the drone pilot training program, the institute is primarily focused on flight training.
"They're receiving all their credentials that they need in order to be deemed hireable by a commercial airline operation, whether that's flying for Flightstar, whether that's flying for Delta," Evans said. "Once they receive all the specialized training and credentialing that they need with us, then they have to build flight time."
Upon completing the program, some graduates choose to join the institute's faculty as a way to work toward their required hours.
Instructor Charlie Evans, 22, began working at the program after finishing his Certified Flight Instructor training.
"If you do go all the way through CFI, you can apply to work here," he said. "Typically, as long as you have a decent interview or you came through the program, they're more likely to hire you than an outside hire."
Evans hopes to work at a regional airline after earning his hours.
Still, chief instructor Kyle Lyons said the faculty's main focus is ultimately on the students, not just their own careers.
"I like to think our students don't perceive any of our instructors as being here just building time to get to the airlines," he said.
To Lyons, the best part of the job is flying with students and seeing them grow as pilots.
Instructor and alumnus Parker Allen, 23, said there is a "camaraderie" that makes the institute a fun place to work.
He added that, during his time as a student, he appreciated learning from several different instructors who had their own teaching styles and techniques.
There are some aspects of the program that have not changed from its days at UI -- such as the orange-and-white paint job on the Piper aircraft Parkland inherited from the university.
"The curriculum is the same as what it was when it was with the University of Illinois," Evans said. "The expectations are still of the highest quality."
However, she noted that housing the institute at a community college with different admissions requirements has "opened the door to more people." A class at the institute may include not just traditional college students but also dual-credit high-schoolers, retirees who've always wanted to fly and "everything in between," Evans said.
"We are definitely a value because of tuition," she said. "We are small, which enables us to pretty much get students in the air right away, versus some of our larger four-year competitors, (where) students don't see airplane time for three to four or even five semesters."
Additionally, the college has recently invested in new equipment, including three new Frasca flight simulators, as well as avionics upgrades for some of the institute's planes, Evans said. They also are waiting on one new aircraft that will hopefully be delivered yet this year.
She added that the institute is planning to launch a fundraising campaign so that they can further build up the program with new equipment, scholarships and facility upgrades.
"I think ideally we would like to raise up to $5 million to start," Evans said. "Obviously, more would be appreciated."
In discussing the program's goals, she said that they need to start a fleet replacement program. The aircraft Parkland inherited from UI ranges from 1998 to 2002. This is not old by aviation standards, Evans said, but students want the "newest and best" models to train in, and they'll also need more planes as the program continues to grow.
She also emphasized the importance of raising more funds for scholarships, as it costs about $80,000 for a student to go "all in" and get an associate degree in aviation plus flight training.
"As far as facilities go, the ultimate goal would be to be able to have a new facility at some point or at least to provide extra funding to add classrooms, update technology," Evans said. "We still have some simulators that we would like to upgrade as well, in the current facility. We're dreaming big."
However, despite all of the changes over the past 10 years and those yet to come, Phillips said that there is at least one thing that remains constant.
"The way you fly an airplane has pretty much stayed the same," she said.