Six New 172's Join UND's Fleet Of 120 Aircraft

The University of North Dakota’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences has added six new Cessna 172 Skyhawk aircraft for delivery next month, bringing its Cessna fleet to 44 new aircraft added in the past 18 months.

“Cessna has always been a big supporter of the Odegard School throughout our 41 years in flight training,” said Don Dubuque, director of Extension Programs. “The first 20 years UND used Cessna aircraft for our single-engine trainer. Even in the years  that Cessna was not producing training aircraft, they continued support for our students by providing internships and scholarships. We are excited to once again see Cessna aircraft on our ramp.”

UND Aerospace will fly some 125,000 hours this year with more than 120 aircraft, including multi-engine, rotor wing and aerobatic aircraft. The school also has 15 flight training devices. UND began its acquisition of new Skyhawks in July 2008.

“The Cessna 172s are making a significant contribution to the growth of our program,” said Dr. Bruce Smith, dean of the Odegard School at UND. “The 172 is a reliable airframe, easy to fly, and offers the student the latest avionics package and that makes it a valuable training tool.”

The Skyhawk has become the best-selling, most-flown airplane in the world with more than 43,000 delivered. The Skyhawk, produced at Cessna’s facility in Independence, Kansas, features a Lycoming engine and a Garmin G1000 avionics package.

FMI: www.aero.und.edu