UND Aerospace Foundation Joins Team M1 to Enhance the U.S. Army’s Flight School Next Program
M1 Support Services (“M1”) announced that the UND Aerospace Foundation (“UNDAF”) has officially joined Team M1 in support of the U.S. Army’s Flight School Next (“FSN”) program. The partnership represents a major step forward in modernizing Army pilot training by combining M1’s extensive experience in military aviation operations with the unparalleled academic strength and training expertise of UND Aerospace. Together, the organizations aim to deliver a next-generation, turnkey aviation training solution that elevates pilot proficiency while driving greater efficiency and cost savings for the U.S. Army.
Flight School Next is one of the Army’s most innovative training initiatives, developed to accelerate learning, improve skill retention, integrate emerging training technologies, and reshape how new Army Aviators are prepared for operational readiness. Unlike traditional government-owned and government-operated models, FSN is structured as a Contractor-Owned, Contractor-Operated (“COCO”) service. This model allows industry experts to manage, maintain, and deliver flight training assets, reducing overhead while enabling the Army to adopt the latest training methodologies, simulator technologies, and curriculum advancements at a faster pace.
UND Aerospace Foundation: A Global Leader in Aviation Training
The UND Aerospace Foundation is the nonprofit support organization of the University of North Dakota’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences—one of the most respected collegiate aviation programs in the world. UND Aerospace, as the combined organization is widely known, has earned a global reputation for excellence in pilot education, research, and aviation safety. For decades, its graduates have gone on to serve in commercial airlines, government agencies, and all branches of the U.S. military.
Operating one of the largest and most sophisticated collegiate flight training ecosystems in the world, UND Aerospace manages a fleet of approximately 150 aircraft and conducts more than 175,000 flight hours annually. Its dual campus footprint—Grand Forks, North Dakota, and Mesa, Arizona—enables continuous operations throughout the year under varying weather and airspace conditions. This large-scale, high-tempo training infrastructure offers a unique parallel to the demands of U.S. military pilot production and makes UND Aerospace an ideal partner for programs requiring throughput, standardization, and a scalable curriculum.
Beyond traditional university training, the UND Aerospace Foundation has spent decades supporting U.S. military organizations, international airlines, civil aviation authorities, and universities across the globe. The Foundation provides curriculum design, instructor development, flight training programs, aviation consulting, and safety management expertise. Its involvement in FSN brings academic rigor and a deep understanding of modern aviation pedagogy to military flight training.
Strengthening the Army’s Modernization Efforts Through Collaboration
M1 Support Services brings its own extensive track record to the partnership. The company is widely recognized as one of the largest and most capable providers of aviation support services to the U.S. Armed Forces. At Fort Rucker—now known as Fort Novosel—M1 manages a massive 240,000 Flying Hour Program, which includes scheduling, launching, recovering, maintaining, and sustaining hundreds of aircraft every day. The scale and complexity of this effort are unmatched across the Department of Defense, and it underscores M1’s reputation for executing large aviation training missions with precision, safety, and cost-effectiveness.
The partnership with UND Aerospace Foundation significantly enhances Team M1’s strength in both practical and educational dimensions. FSN is designed to incorporate advanced simulators, competency-based learning, data-driven assessments, and enhanced academic instruction. By bringing UND’s deep expertise in evidence-based pilot training, Team M1 gains a powerful advantage in delivering a training pipeline that is modern, efficient, and aligned with emerging Army requirements.
Leadership Endorsement and Strategic Vision
George Krivo, Chairman and CEO of M1 Support Services, praised UND Aerospace’s long-standing contributions to the pilot community, noting:
UND Aerospace has a decades-long history of producing high-quality pilots, including many who went on to distinguish themselves as Army Aviators. UND Aerospace also recently partnered with the Air Force to provide Initial Pilot Training (IPT) utilizing FAA Part 141-certified courses, and that experience providing COCO flight training to the military will prove invaluable for Flight School Next.
Krivo’s comments highlight two critical points. First, UND Aerospace has already proven its capacity to deliver outsourced military training through its Air Force Initial Pilot Training partnership. Second, its graduates—including many who later became Army Aviators—have demonstrated a consistent standard of excellence in real-world operational environments. This validation reinforces the confidence that UND Aerospace can scale and adapt its training systems to meet Army needs through the FSN program.
Chuck Pineo, CEO of the UND Aerospace Foundation, expressed similarly strong support for the partnership and the mission of FSN:
The U.S. Army’s Flight School Next approach will make America stronger by streamlining pilot training and emphasizing safety and quality, while meeting the Army’s training goals. We look forward to adding our long history of pilot training and academic excellence to the M1 team, making them the only choice to lead the next generation of pilot training at Ft. Rucker.
Pineo’s remarks emphasize the synergy between UND’s educational expertise and M1’s operational capabilities. He also underscores that FSN is not simply a training program—it is a strategic modernization effort that strengthens national security by optimizing how quickly, safely, and effectively new aviators are produced.
Modernizing Army Aviation Training Through Innovative Approaches
The Army’s Flight School Next initiative is built around several key priorities:
- Accelerated learning: By leveraging simulators, mixed reality, and adaptive training tools, FSN allows students to build proficiency faster.
- Cost efficiency: The COCO model minimizes government risk and lifecycle cost while allowing the Army to adopt new technologies without lengthy procurement cycles.
- Competency-based progression: Students advance based on demonstrated proficiency, not just time in the cockpit.
- Enhanced safety: Structured training, simulation, and standardized instruction help reduce common training-related risks.
Aerospace and M1 are uniquely positioned to deliver on these objectives. brings decades of experience in competency-based training, advanced simulation research, and scenario-driven flight instruction. M1 contributes massive-scale operational capability and deep familiarity with the logistical and maintenance demands of a military aviation enterprise.
A Partnership Fit for the Future of Army Aviation
As Team M1 competes to support the next generation of pilot training at Fort Novosel, UND Aerospace’s involvement brings a decisive advantage. The combination of UND’s academic excellence and M1’s military aviation leadership creates a comprehensive solution that bridges the gap between classroom learning, simulator proficiency, and real-world flight operations.
Together, AF and M1 aim to redefine what pilot training can look like for the U.S. Army—more modern, more efficient, and more aligned with the evolving needs of national defense. With an increasingly complex global threat environment and a rising demand for skilled aviators, FSN represents a critical opportunity to transform how America prepares its military pilots. Team M1, strengthened by Aerospace Foundation’s global expertise, stands ready to deliver on that vision.
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