Students have varying opinions on the new MTSU Aerospace Department Facility, under construction in Shelbyville, Tennessee, due to specific logistics.
Officials broke ground on the facility on Dec. 2, 2025, expanding departmental operations. The relocation of the program stemmed from its growth and expansion, according to Sidelines.
The MTSU program holds an estimated 1,400 students as of late 2025.
Amid the finance, appropriations, community relations processes and significant program growth, the department elected to move to Shelbyville, citing a larger airport and more open land in Bedford County.
Some students had concerns about transportation and flight timing. Some students fly in the early morning, around 5 a.m or 6 a.m., requiring an early departure to the airport to be on time and conduct necessary pre-flight preparations.
Brandon Rudy, a sophomore aerospace major, said he is excited about the new facility and its potential, but has some reservations about the timing of flights due to travel distance.
“I mean, the general policy is, you have to be there 30 minutes before the actual scheduled flight time, which is the 30 minutes … mainly for preflights,” Rudy said. “You do your weight and balance, and your calculations of the airplane before you go out and fly.”
Rudy also mentioned that the school originally offered a shuttle system to take students back and forth to the airport. According to the Flight Training FAQ page, the department offers a shuttle service to Shelbyville, but not to Murfreesboro.
The Shelbyville Airport is 30 minutes from MTSU, through Highway 231.
Junior pro pilot major Michael Yanni is looking forward to the new facility and sees the expansion as a way to anticipate future growth of the program.
“…To be able to handle all of the students that they currently have, and not only that, but looking into the future, they will handle the increased growth that we see year after year,” Yanni said. “Because the program is still expanding pretty fast as well.”
The program is expected to be complete in the spring 2028 semester. Upon the facility’s completion, MTSU’s Aerospace Department operations will shift its location from Murfreesboro’s airport to Shelbyville Municipal Airport.
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