Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology is a college within Saint Louis University. Parks Air College was founded by Oliver Parks in 1927. Parks was American's first federally certified school of aviation, holding the FAA Air Agency Certificate no. 1. Parks College was once a division of the Detroit Aircraft Corporation. In the 1930's those enrolled as aeronautical engineers, had to design, construct and test fly their own aircraft. In 1938 Oliver Parks, (representing Parks Air College,) Curtis-Wright Technical Institute, and Boeing School of Aeronautics were requested by Gen Arnold to establish, at their own risk, a Civilian Pilot Training Program including barracks and aircraft to provide basic training for thousands of pilots. As enrollment swelled, Parks further expanded his facilities to include operations at Cape Girardeau and Sikeston, Missouri, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Jackson, Mississippi. Parks College trained thousands of aviators and aircraft mechanics during World War II. By the end of the war, more than 37,000 cadets (more than 10% of the Air Corps) had received their primary flight instruction at a Parks institution.