Aspiring pilots at the California Aeronautical University in Bakersfield got a new piece of equipment on Friday to help in their studies.

The Top Hawk aircraft will help get the students flight time they need to be ready to become pilots.

CAU has 80 students currently enrolled at the school located at Meadows Field Airport.

Immersed in aviation, it takes just three years for students to earn their bachelor's degree in professional aeronautics, taking them from the classroom to the cockpit.

The pilots will be needed soon, as Boeing estimates the industry will need 117,000 new commercial pilots in North America over the next two decades.