Scott Wilson
Professor of Aviation
B.A. University of Colorado
M.Ed. Montana State University-Billings
J.D. University of Montana
Graduate studies at Navy Ward College and National Defense University
406.657.1059
Rocky Hall 101C
wilsons@rocky.edu
Biography
Professor Scott Wilson is a Certified Flight Instructor, Advanced Ground Instructor and an Airline Transport Pilot. He has given more than 1,000 hours of flight instruction and 10,000 hours of ground instruction. He has worked part-time at Rocky since 1990, and full-time since 1995, and has served two terms as Faculty Chair.
Professor Wilson is also an aviation attorney. He was vice president of a cargo airline and regional counsel for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). He has litigated FAA enforcement cases and negotiated international aviation contracts in Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, and Denmark. Scott also served as a Special Assistant U. S. Attorney and Assistant Attorney General for Montana.
He has flown for the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Forest Service, and several commercial aviation operators. As a Captain in the Navy, he recently completed more than 4 years of active duty, primarily with NATO forces overseas. He was the senior U. S. military officer in Poland, where he oversaw the construction of the first NATO facilty behind the old "Iron Curtain," which will train Eastern European military forces for duty in Afghanistan. The project presented a wide variety of management challenges as Poland continues its transition from communism to democracy. Captain Wilson was then assigned to NATO headquarters, where he wrote the first draft of NATO's new "Alliance Maritime Strategy" and presented it to NATO's assembled ambassadors in Brussels, Belgium. This new maritime strategy will become the cornerstone of NATO's policy to meet global threats in the coming decades.
Following this duty, Captain Wilson served as the Director of the Navy's Wounded, Ill, and Injured program to help provide brighter futures for America's wounded warriors.
Courses Taught
Aviation Law
Air Transportation
Aviation Safety
Airport Planning
All FAA pilot ground schools
What advice do you have for prospective students?
The aviation industry offers numerous and rewarding career fields.
What is your favorite class to teach and why?
Aviation Law, which equips students with the knowledge to protect their careers.
What are you currently reading?
What God Hath Wrought, which describes the socio-economic evolution of the USA during the period of 1815-1845.
What do you do outside of class?
The best time is family time, especially with activities like hiking, biking and golfing. I am also a member of the Lawyer-Pilot Bar Association and the Montana Bar Association, as well as the Association of Naval Aviation and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).
