Universal Expands Support of the NBAA S&D Scholarship Program

HOUSTON, TX--(Marketwire - Apr 14, 2011) - Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. is further expanding its support of aircraft scheduler and dispatcher professional development by offering a new training scholarship through the NBAA 2012 Schedulers & Dispatchers Training Scholarship Program. This new training scholarship is an enrollment in Universal's hybrid online/in-class FAA Aircraft Dispatcher Training and Certification course.

In addition, Universal^® announced that it will renew the program it launched at S&D 2010 to donate $250 to the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Schedulers & Dispatchers (S&D) Scholarship Fund for every new UVflightplanner.com(SM) annual subscription it receives. "Supporting the industry that supports us has always been extremely important to us," said Ralph Vasami, CEO, Universal. "Thanks to our UVflightplanner.com subscribers, this donation program was a huge success last year and generated a final amount well exceeding the standard annual donation amount of $5,000 to the fund. We are excited that for this year we will not only continue to grow that program, but also now offer additional educational opportunities by sponsoring a scholarship to our FAA Aircraft Dispatcher Course."

UVflightplanner.com is Universal's comprehensive online flight planning system that allows users to quickly and easily create, review, and file optimized flight plans for wherever they fly worldwide.

Universal's FAA-approved FAR Part 65 aircraft dispatcher training and certification course is designed to help flight operations enhance their knowledge base, safety and efficiency, as well as help individuals achieve their personal career goals of becoming an FAA licensed dispatcher. Two versions of the course are available -- one is online, followed by two weeks of classroom time; the other is a six-week all classroom course.

NBAA's scholarship program, generously supported through sponsorships, offers nearly $100,000 annually in cash awards as tuition reimbursement for enrolled students, and that number is nearly matched in monetary and training awards for working professionals. NBAA currently offers six scholarships to qualified students studying aviation-related curricula at institutions of higher learning. The Association also sponsors seven monetary and training scholarships to promote professionalism and the advancement of careers for aviation professionals, such as flight department managers, flight attendants, maintenance technicians, schedulers and dispatchers.

About Universal
With more than 50 years in business aviation and over 2.5 million trip legs facilitated, Universal^®provides the solutions you need to meet your goals. Discover greater efficiency and productivity through resources including customized trip support, savings through the UVair^®Fuel Program, worldwide ground support from Universal Aviation(SM), online flight planning and trip tools, aircraft data link communications, and much more. For more information, contact our worldwide sales at (800) 793-1295 (North America) or (713) 378-2778 (Worldwide).