Coe College assistant chief instructor has enough aviation passion and experience to fill the horizon
For a flight instructor, some of Tim Busch’s best moments have come on the ground.
This scenario has played out hundreds of times for him: With two feet firmly on pavement outside a hangar, Busch has eyes on a speck of a plane maneuvering in the sky. It’s one of his pupils taking their first solo flight. Busch is never nervous, he is confident that the pilot has been trained properly. So, when they touch down, it’s not a sigh of relief that comes from Busch, but a proud smile.
Busch is bringing the confidence that can only be earned with decades of experience to Coe College’s aviation management & flight operations program. He is an assistant chief instructor with ATD Flight Systems, which is running the flight school portion of Coe’s program. He will begin conducting flight lessons this fall at Coe’s Aeronautical Field Station at the Eastern Iowa Airport for the initial class of aviation students.
The experience Busch has in aviation is matched by his passion for flying, which was molded during his formative years when the space program was at the height of its popularity and supersonic jets were rattling the windows of his elementary school in Northern Iowa.
“Like a lot of people, the aviation spark happened early. I was a farm kid, and our farm bordered Iowa's only active air force base at the time on three sides,” Busch explained. “It didn't have any runways, didn't have any airplanes, but it was a radar facility. So it was a checkpoint for all the fighter aircraft that would fly over just about every day.”
In 1981, Busch earned his private pilot license while working for Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, holding multiple job responsibilities across project management, engineering and management. In 1997 he became a flight instructor, and then in 2005, he put the skills he had built to use and started his own business — a flight school.
As a member of a local flying club and then as an instructor, he became keenly aware of the need for a flight school with instructors who were dedicated to putting students first and making the best pilots possible. Using his knack for logistics, problem solving and leadership, he started his business with one aircraft and grew it to a dozen aircraft spread across six airports with 25 instructors.
“I wore out a pickup truck servicing supplies to all of those airports,” Busch quipped.
Eventually, he transitioned to chief flight instructor at Iowa Lakes Community College, rejuvenating their Part 141 flight program.
The whole time he has never lost his zeal for instructing and is ready to bring his knowledge to Coe to share with a new generation of pilots.
“Flying is still just the best. Of course, now, the students are doing most of the flying, and I'm supervising them, but still I'm like a little kid every time we fly — I enjoy every moment in the air,” Busch said.
The opportunity to come to Coe was too good to pass up.
He still has a home near Cedar Rapids and he loves the startup energy of a new program. Plus, he sees multiple advantages for Coe students taking flight lessons through the aviation management & flight operations program.
“Coe is a four year college — there is an advantage to four year degrees in aviation,” Busch noted.
“Being at the Eastern Iowa Airport, the second-largest airport in the state, is an advantage with a control tower right here on the field and working with air traffic controllers every day,” he added.
Finally, Busch stressed the importance of being able to fly right away and fly often. Kohawks will be able to fly quickly in their first term.
“All good flight schools allow students to fly right away. Part of it is building enthusiasm. Being able to start right away seals the deal for young pilots, and makes them want it even more,” Busch said.
Currently, Busch is busy building the Coe program. He is hiring instructors who have a broad knowledge base and the patience to work with different personalities in the cockpit. He has a goal to grow the Coe program to the point where it will attract commercial carriers, but as the first training flights take off, safety will always be paramount. Busch also knows firsthand the importance of regular maintenance and checks on the fleet of training aircraft and stresses that will always be the first focus.
The cadence of flight lessons is still similar to what Busch experienced in 1981. There will be preflight checks, weight and balance calculations, checking fuel requirements and setting expectations for the flight. In flight, students will perform the maneuvers discussed and then there will be a postflight debrief.
As Busch closes in on 30 years as a flight instructor, he has only grown more eager to train pilots and follow along as their careers unfold.
“I am so excited to lead the Coe program and help make new pilots at Coe College,” Busch said.