Physical address: 1050 Meridian Drive, Morrisville, NC 27560
(see directions below)

Mailing address: UNC Air Operations, PO Box 90818, Raleigh, NC 27675-0818

phone 919-445-4790 | fax 919-445-4794
hangar 919-445-4790| email click here

The University of North Carolina’s Air Operations is a professionally operated flight department dedicated to advancing the University’s mission through the safe, reliable, and efficient transportation of University, AHEC, and State of North Carolina personnel on official business

UNC Air Operations provides year-round air transportation support to UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC Health, UNC System faculty and staff, AHEC personnel, and North Carolina state employees in support of official duties.

OUR HISTORY

Since its early beginnings in 1968, AHEC’s UNC Air Operations, previously known as Medical Air, has transported health science faculty, medical residents, and university officials to all areas of the state for educational activities.

The nine regional Area Health Education Centers span North Carolina, allowing resources from the state’s health science schools to reach communities and improve local health. The 500 miles between our coast and mountains present a challenge to university faculty who conduct consultation clinics and continuing professional development activities in the AHECs, while maintaining their teaching, research, and service responsibilities “at home.”

Annually, UNC Air Operations transports nearly 1500 passengers to almost 100 destinations. These include North Carolina’s nine AHEC centers, community hospitals, health departments, and universities. This service makes it possible for faculty to reach very remote sites in the state on a daily basis while maintaining a full slate of professional activities. UNC Air Operations has logged approximately 21 million passenger miles since 1968.

TYPICAL DAY

UNC Air Operations conducts between three and five trips per week, with each flight carrying an average of one to four passengers. Approximately 80% of flights are scheduled during daytime hours and are used to transport faculty, clinical staff, coaching staff, and department heads. Night flights are typically scheduled to support faculty traveling to conduct continuing professional development programs.

On a typical day, UNC Air Operations pilots may fly medical faculty and residents to Wilmington, North Carolina, to see patients at a consultation clinic, or transport coaching staff to visit future recruits, or conduct meetings. In another instance, a professor from the UNC–Chapel Hill School of Dentistry may travel to Asheville to conduct an evening continuing professional development program after spending a full day teaching students and treating patients in the dental clinic.

CORE VALUES

Safety First—Always
We place safety above schedule, convenience, and cost. Employees are empowered and expected to speak up, stop operations, and make conservative decisions in the interest of safety.

Service to the UNC Mission
We support UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC Health, UNC System faculty and staff, AHEC personnel, and North Carolina state employees by enabling safe, reliable air transportation for clinical care, academic programs, and athletics engagement. Our work extends the reach of our partners, helping serve communities across North Carolina and beyond.

Professionalism and Accountability
We hold ourselves to the highest standards of aviation professionalism. Each employee takes ownership of their responsibilities, complies with procedures, maintains qualifications, and follows through—without being asked.

Teamwork and Mutual Respect
Safe and effective operations depend on collaboration between pilots, mechanics, administrative staff, and leadership. We value clear communication, respect across roles, and a shared commitment to mission success.

Continuous Improvement and Compliance
We actively seek to improve skills, processes, and systems through training, audits, SMS principles, and lessons learned. Compliance is not a minimum standard—it is a foundation for excellence.

HIGH TECHNICAL STANDARDS

UNC Air Operation’s takes pride in exceeding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements. All flights are flown by two pilots. Our pilots have flown a combined average of over 10,000 hours. A team of three full-time certified maintenance technicians maintain the aircraft’s readiness, performing eight inspections per aircraft per year and other routine maintenance procedures in a modern, fully equipped hangar. In addition, our experienced air transportation staff handle scheduling and coordination of the flights for our passengers.

UNC Air Operations operates in a highly sophisticated air traffic control system. Its fleet of TBMs utilize state-of-the-art weather avoidance equipment and satellite navigational systems, comparable to those found on any major airliner. With these aircraft, most locations in the state can be reached in an hour or less, including small municipal airports inaccessible to commercial airliners.

UNC Air Operations helps maintain a close partnership between the universities and the communities around the state. The UNC Air Operations team takes pride in its contributions toward supporting the nearly 10.5 million North Carolinians.

UNC AIR OPERATIONS PASSENGER ELIGIBILITY POLICY

UNC Air Operations provides the option of air transportation to university faculty, staff and administrators in their efforts to accomplish the goals and missions of the broader University. Faculty from the University of North Carolina system, as well as the major partner educational institutions that are part of the NC AHEC Program, including Duke University and Wake Forest University.

The Passenger Eligibility section of the operations manual states that passengers who utilize UNC Air will undergo prior screening for eligibility by the Program Coordinator. It must be determined in advance that a passenger is one of the following:

1. traveling on university business,
2. traveling for UNC Healthcare business,
3. traveling on AHEC business,
4. traveling on state agency business,
5. traveling to meet the mission of AHEC, UNC Health, UNC System and other AHEC partner universities, or state agency.

Payment for flights must be made from an AHEC Center, state, or university account.

FLYING WITH US

Convenient

• Easy access to large cities and most small, out-of-the-way destinations
• Short notice flights may be available

Economical

• Reduce or eliminate rental car, fuel, per-diem expenses
• No need to book months in advance
• Travel time is minimized, reducing time away from your job

UNC AIR OPERATIONS STAFF

GETTING THERE

Direct access from Chapel Hill via I-40 to I-540 to Lumley Road to RDU General Aviation. Follow signs to UNC Air Operations. Medical Air is located across from the RDU Observation Deck; separate from commercial terminals. Free parking is located in front of building. Your flight crew will meet you in reception area and accompany you to the aircraft.