Piper Aircraft, Inc. has taken a 112-aircraft order from the UND Aerospace Foundation, which provides training and aircraft to the University of North Dakota John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. Deliveries begin in the fourth quarter of 2016 and stretch out over eight years.
“This is an important order for the UND,” said Bruce Smith, dean of the Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota. “We see Piper as an essential partner in producing the next generation of pilots. Its aircraft enables our students to become familiar with the most advanced systems in aviation trainers which will prepare them well to fill the growing demand for high-quality pilots.”
The order is designed to replace the institution’s current fleet of existing single-engine aircraft with the Archer TX and its multi-engine Seminole fleet with new Seminoles.
“We have designed the Archer TX and Seminole to give students the technical abilities and modern proficiencies they will need in today’s aviation workforce,” said Piper President and CEO Simon Caldecott. “For nearly 30 years UND has been ordering Aircraft from Piper. UND’s continued commitment to Piper confirms our belief that Piper trainers offer a cost-effective means of both developing and replacing aircraft at training organizations.”
As with all Piper Aircraft, both the Archer and Seminoles are equipped with Garmin G1000 avionics, an all-glass cockpit and the perfect mixture of low workload and high technology. Each Piper trainer interior is designed for maximum comfort. Piper’s specially created flight school interior, designed to withstand the rigors of flight training, is standard equipment. Ergonomic seating keeps students and instructors relaxed, increasing their ability to focus on flight operations. The seats and sidewalls are hand crafted and fitted with heavy-duty vinyl and wear-resistant leather to maximize durability. They are also equipped with an autopilot.
While neither party is announcing the value of the contract a standard-equipped Piper Seminole starts at $697,000, while the Archer TX starts at $345,000.
About the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences – The John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota is a world-renowned center of aerospace learning, internationally acclaimed for its achievements in collegiate aviation education and flight training, atmospheric research, space studies, earth systems science and computer science applications. With 825 faculty and staff members, and over 1800 students from around the world, and many programs and research projects, UND Aerospace Sciences is setting the pace for aerospace education. UND Aerospace owns and operates the largest civilian training fleet in the world consisting of 150 aircraft and flight training devices. UND Aerospace logs over 125,000 hours of flight training at their Grand Forks, ND; Meza, AZ and Crookston, MN locations. www.aero.und.edu
