VERO BEACH, Fla. — Piper Aircraft recently delivered eight single-engine Piper Archer TX training airplanes, equipped with the latest Garmin G1000 avionics, to Florida Institute of Technology.
“We are pleased that Florida Institute of Technology is our launch customer for the Piper Career Alliance, and today we are doubly gratified to hand over the keys of the first eight Archer TX trainers,” said Piper President and CEO Simon Caldecott. “In the future they will help the university train hundreds of new aviators just beginning their professional aviation careers.”
“We are anxious to integrate these new Piper Archer TXs into our curriculum,” said Kenneth Stackpoole, Ph.D., Vice President of Aviation Programs and Dean of Florida Institute of Technology. “These new airplanes will be put to use immediately, training our student pilots.”
In addition to the eight aircraft delivered today, Florida Institute of Technology’s College of Aeronautics has options on 16 additional trainers — either Archer TXs or twin-engine Seminoles — for future delivery, bringing the total potential new aircraft under the agreement to 24.
The new Pipers will be among the first Archer TXs equipped with the Garmin G1000 glass panel avionics suite, just certified this April.
Piper began the Piper Aviation Career Alliance with Florida Institute of Technology to educate and provide enhanced vocational opportunities for aviation program graduates as well as graduates from other programs offered through the school. In addition to a new fleet of Piper training aircraft, the five-year agreement includes career opportunities for students and graduates through Piper internships, scholarships, career interviews and mentoring.