May 4—Ah, that new airplane smell.
Aviation students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale soon will be enjoying the aroma of new cockpits as seven brand-new Cessna 172 flight training airplanes will be entering SIU's fleet.
Instructors and other SIU Aviation staff members picked up the planes from the Cessna plant in Independence, Kansas yesterday and brought the aircraft to the Southern Illinois Airport tarmac, where they await final approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to be put into service.
The purchase of the airplanes was approved by the SIU Board of Trustees at its regular meeting last July at an estimated price of $3.1 million.
Five of the planes, used for student aviators' flight instruction, are to replace airplanes that have reached the end of their useful life. Two will expand the academic unit's fleet, Southern Illinois University Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane told the board. The university's fleet includes more than 40 planes.
Funding for the purchase comes entirely from flight fees paid by aviation students.
"This is an incredible program and this is something that is much needed to stay competitive," Lane said of the flight training program.
The planes are four-seat, single engine high wing aircraft with a top speed of 188 mph.
SIU Chief Flight Instructor Steven Goetz said the new planes are vital for preparing flight students on equipment similar to what they will pilot after graduation.
"These planes have the modern iterations of displays and instrumentation," Goetz explained. "So what you see as far as flight displays are very similar to what you would find on a regional jet and on mainline aircraft."
Goetz added that many of the program's previous aircraft — also Cessna 172s — are being upgraded to digital flight displays as well. He said the 172 has been manufactured since the mid-1950s and is the standard bearer in flight training. He compared the planes to a traditional, practical sedan automobile.
"These are planes where you know exactly what you are getting and that do everything you need them to do and nothing else. You will never be surprised by what a 172 will do," he said.
Interim Director of the SIU School of Aviation José Ruiz said the addition of the new planes will help with growing enrollment.
"Our students deserve the finest flight training available, and these new aircrafts will assist us in meeting that expectation," he said.
The flight program currently includes more than 350 students, with an enrollment increase expected in the fall. Goetz said each student pilot will log more than 750 hours of in-flight time before graduating.
618-351-5078
___
(c)2023 The Southern Illinoisan, Ill.
Visit The Southern Illinoisan, Ill. at www.thesouthern.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
