Future of UND Flight Operations
Meet the new director of Flight Operations, Jeremy Roesler.
In 1996, Jeremy Roesler graduated from the University of North Dakota with a bachelor’s degree in Aviation Administration. In 2006, he earned his MBA from UND’s College of Business. Today, Roesler is UND’s director of Flight Operations.
How it Began
Roesler is originally from Bloomington, Minnesota. He grew up surrounded by airplanes and always knew he wanted to do something related to aviation.
“I grew up on a two-and-a-half mile final to Flying Cloud,” said Roesler. “There were always airplanes going overhead. My dad was an aeronautical engineer, so that had a lot to do with giving me the aviation bug.”
When he graduated in 1996, Roesler began working at UND Aerospace’s satellite campus in Crookston, MN. Roesler first worked the desk, answering phones and supervising flights. Eventually, Roesler was hired as a flight instructor and began to teach his first students. Roesler transitioned to the main campus in Grand Forks as a lead flight instructor. He quickly moved up the ranks, becoming an assistant chief flight instructor and, in 2006, chief flight instructor. For 17 years, Roesler oversaw UND’s flight training and instructors before moving into his new role at the end of 2023.
“I’ve been an employee at UND for 28 years now,” said Roesler. “I’ve seen a few things in my time. I’m not a fan of the winters, I’ll be honest, but what we do is pretty amazing. When you look at the number of aircraft, students, and quality we perform at, I am happy to be a part of that tradition.”
Why UND?
Roesler was drawn to UND because of the school’s reputation in aviation. When he graduated and as his career progressed, he realized that staying at UND would be the most rewarding career for him.
Looking at Flight Operations today, Roesler says our strengths lie in what we do and the people involved.
“In the flight training we conduct, we are always looking to provide the highest level of flight training available,” said Roesler. “Our maintenance department is phenomenal. How we maintain our fleet is something to be proud of.”
New Leadership within Flight Operations
“We have a lot of new faces starting,” said Roesler. “We are getting new sets of eyes on what we do here and making appropriate changes that will help us operate better. We always need to continue to improve on what we do now – we can’t just sit stagnant; we have to move forward in order to keep being the best.”
Among those starting new positions is Paula Bruse, who started as chief flight instructor in April. Bruse graduated from UND with her bachelor’s in 2003. Like Roesler, she moved up the ranks at Flight Operations, starting as a line flight instructor, then lead flight instructor, then assistant chief flight instructor, before taking the helm this year. In the process, Bruse earned her master’s degree from UND in 2011.
Bruse sees Flight Operations’ current strengths in the quality of the flight training and the program’s overall safety record.
“I was drawn to UND for the school’s reputation as one of the best flight schools,” said Bruse. “In this new position, I’m looking forward to continuing the legacy of our program for years to come.”
Student Input
Roesler expressed his desire for student participation and understanding in future changes. He is excited to hear student feedback and ideas for improvement and encourages students to keep communication links open.
“The hard part is that suggestions take time,” said Roesler. “I want to hear what can be improved and be different. Those ideas are extremely important. The frustrating part is that students recommend great changes, but sometimes, the changes take a few years. We encourage suggestions, but we also need to understand that they can take time to enact.”
The Future of Flight Operations
In the coming years, Roesler plans to modernize Flight Operations. From technology to procedures and training, Roesler and Bruse want to be on the cutting edge and provide the best possible experience for students.
Roesler hopes to update UND Flight Operations’ software, AIMS, and improve learning and instructional techniques for students and flight instructors. Bruse hopes to see advancements in the dispatch process and transitions to electronic logbooks.
When asked about the eventual new dispatch building, Roesler joked, “The buckets catching water when it rains need to go.”
Roesler believes the new building would significantly influence student and instructor experiences. “Part of our planned procedure is to base our operations off the airlines,” he says. “We want to modernize what we do at dispatch.”
“I’m so proud of this organization,” said Roesler. “This goes back to my high school years when UND was viewed as the top-notch place to be. I am here to simply continue that path. Then, I’ll pass the torch to whoever comes next. I am looking forward to moving with this organization. I use a slogan: We are in the business of building people up and then moving them on. There is always a level of education going on at all levels, and I look forward to doing that in the coming years.”
Written by: Averie Eixenberger, Commercial Aviation and English major at UND.
