CLARKSVILLE, Tennessee (November 4, 2026) – Austin Peay State University (APSU) has become the first college to utilize WYVERN’s Quality & Safety Management System, QSMS. The move positions APSU at the forefront of safety management in aviation education and sets a new precedent for how flight training programs approach safety culture, risk management, and operational oversight.
By adopting WYVERN’s QSMS, APSU gives its flight program a structured, data-driven framework for identifying hazards, tracking safety performance, and driving continuous improvement. The program also lets students learn within the same safety management practices used by leading operators across the industry, so they enter their careers fluent in the systems they will encounter in the field.
“Our students will train on the same kind of safety management system that operators rely on, so it’s familiar to them by the time they’re in the field,” said APSU President Mike Licari. “That’s the practical, industry-connected education we want APSU to be known for, and I’m grateful to our flight faculty and staff for building it into how we train every day.”
APSU’s decision reflects a growing recognition that safety management belongs in the earliest stages of pilot training. By embedding QSMS into its flight operations, the university demonstrates that a strong safety culture is built from the first lesson, not introduced after graduation. Through the Bachelor of Science in Aviation Science with a rotor-wing concentration, the university continues to prepare students to lead with discipline, accountability, and sound risk management.
APSU’s pairs a full bachelor’s degree with the ability to earn FAA certification for careers in flight instruction, aerial tourism, charter operations, and other commercial and civil helicopter applications. The curriculum covers FAA regulations, aerodynamics and aircraft systems, flight decision-making, and more. Scenario-based learning and a proactive safety management system are central to the program’s mission of developing safe, skilled, and professional helicopter pilots.
“Austin Peay State University is setting an example for the entire collegiate flight training community,” said Andrew Day, Chief Operating Officer of WYVERN. “As the first college to adopt QSMS, APSU shows that safety management is a foundation of aviation education. We are proud to support their commitment to a strong, sustainable safety culture.”
WYVERN’s QSMS is a customizable, web-based software platform that centralizes safety and quality reporting, risk analysis, and mitigation tools, helping organizations of any size manage risk, monitor performance, and strengthen safety culture. APSU’s adoption shows how well it serves an academic flight environment, extending its benefits beyond charter and corporate operators to those who train the next generation of pilots.
About Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University is a public university in Clarksville, Tennessee, serving more than 11,000 students. APSU pairs the resources of a larger university with the personal attention of a smaller campus, supported by a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio and more than 170 student organizations. The university fields 17 NCAA Division I athletic teams and sits just 45 minutes from Nashville.
Students choose from more than 250 areas of study, including 60 majors and 180 concentrations at every level from bachelor’s to doctoral. Programs are offered on campus, fully online, and in hybrid formats through the College of Arts and Letters, the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, the College of Business, the Eriksson College of Education, the College of STEM, the Honors College, and the College of Graduate Studies. Many programs are developed in partnership with regional industries to prepare graduates for the workforce, and more than half of APSU graduates complete their degrees without student loan debt.
APSU also maintains a proud military tradition, having commissioned more than 1,000 officers since 1973 and serving military-affiliated students through the Austin Peay Center at Fort Campbell. APSU’s Aviation Science: Rotor-Wing program is the state’s only professional rotorcraft pilot degree program. Students train through university faculty and staff at the Austin Peay Flight Facility at Clarksville Regional Airport, flying the Guimbal Cabri G2 and Robinson R44 Raven II helicopters, in structured FAA Part 141 flight training built around a strong culture of safety and leadership.
Learn more about Austin Peay State University here.
About WYVERN
Since 1991, WYVERN has been a trusted leader in aviation safety, providing auditing and certification services to Fortune 100 companies that demand the highest standards for air charter operations.
To advance safety across the industry, WYVERN developed the Wingman Standard—the first comprehensive code of best practices for private and business aviation—setting the benchmark for excellence in flight operations, aircraft maintenance, and safety management systems.
Today, WYVERN is a globally recognized aerospace service provider, certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 standards. Our clients include energy and power companies, aircraft manufacturers, corporate flight departments, charter operators and brokers, air medical providers, hospitals, fixed-base operators, and maintenance organizations worldwide.
We empower aviation stakeholders to make confident, informed risk management decisions through industry-leading education, training, consulting, auditing, coaching, advanced risk management software, and a comprehensive aviation safety intelligence database.
Driven by a commitment to continuous improvement, WYVERN pursues a clear vision: a world where every aerospace service provider operates with a strong and sustainable safety culture.
Learn more about WYVERN LTD here.
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