Latest Step As School Moves To All-Glass Fleet

Cirrus Design announced earlier this week The Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota will soon offer flight training on the Cirrus SR20. The Duluth, MN-based manufacturer said the University of North Dakota Aerospace program will take delivery of four new SR20s in December, with plans to begin student flight training in January.

"UND Aerospace has already worked closely with Cirrus for over three years providing high-quality flight instruction to our customers," said Cirrus Executive Vice-President of Sales & Marketing John M. Bingham. "Our two organizations have created a formidable team to give pilots a new innovative airplane to fly and top-level fight training to further increase their level of safety. UND’s decision to add Cirrus airplanes to their fleet is a natural progression of that relationship and a reflection of their confidence in our company and in our aircraft."

Don Dubuque, Director of Aircraft Acquisition for UND Aerospace, added, "As the factory training provider for Cirrus over the past 3 years, UND Aerospace has built upon its long tradition of incorporating the latest technology and the highest standards of safety into its flight training programs. The Cirrus aircraft, with its innovative technology and "Safety Comes Standard" features, will help us meet our training objectives."

Bruce Smith, Dean of The Odegard School for Aerospace Sciences, said, "We are excited to add the Cirrus aircraft to our substantial fleet, offering our students the opportunity to fly the SR20 with its advanced avionics technology and outstanding aircraft performance. The acquisition of these aircraft strengthens our commitment to move to an all glass fleet."

The addition of the four SR20s to the UND fleet is a step towards greater goals for both entities, as the school moves towards an all-glass-cockpit fleet (earlier this year, as was reported in Aero-News, the UND aviation program also purchased seven Entegra-equipped New Piper Warrior IIIs) while Cirrus looks to build on its sales success with a strengthened presence in the flight training market.

"It’s continuing validation to again see Cirrus aircraft accepted into the fleet market as part of another excellent collegiate aerospace training program," said Bingham. "We know that the students, and their parents, will be pleased that the Cirrus, with so many built-in safety features such as the four-point harness restraint, airbag seatbelts, side-yoke flight controls, advanced avionics and the airframe parachute, will now be available for flight training."

UND AEROSPACE, which includes The Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota and the UND Aerospace Foundation (UNDAF), is an international leader in collegiate and contract aviation education and training services flying over 110,000 hours per year in over 120 aircraft.

UNDAF also provides factory training to Cirrus customers at the Cirrus factory in Duluth, MN. With more than 2,100 students from throughout the world, The Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences is the second largest college at the University of North Dakota. Undergraduate and graduate programs leading to a variety of rewarding careers in aerospace are offered through four different academic departments: aviation, atmospheric sciences, computer science and space studies. The UND Aerospace training complex is the most technologically advanced environment for aerospace education, training and research in the world.

FMI: www.aero.und.edu, www.cirrusdesign.com