College of Engineering gets twelve new planes
USU’s College of Engineering added 12 new airplanes to their aviation program, 10 Diamond DA40 Stars and two Diamond DA42 Twin Star aircrafts.
These 12 airplanes will replace eight 1978 and 1979 Cessna 152 models, four 1961-1983 Cessna 172 models and two Beach Craft Travel Airs models. These older USU aircrafts spent between 8,000 and 15,000 hours in the air.
“The students are elated; everyone I’ve talked to is just thrilled,” said Richard Charles, director of aviation. “The new planes greatly strengthen the program.” This is because the technology will help better train students and will allow USU to begin new research.
The new DA40s and DA42s are brand new technology. The airplanes are made of composite carbon fiber material thatis the same as the material used to build the space shuttle. The material (basically fiber-glass) is lighter, stronger and allows the plane to go faster than USU’s older all-metal Cessna’s. The DA40s also feature what is called a “glass cockpit,” meaning the instruments are all computerized and measurements are shown on an LCD screen. The planes also feature a GPS-like system that shows the terrain under the aircraft and the location of the plane on its flight path.
Sixty students entered the aviation program this semester – a huge influx – that, according to Charles, is due to the new technology at USU. He says that by using this technology, students will be far more equipped for the workforce and will perform better on a regional jet simulator for an airline interview.
“One of our goals is to have our program be nationally recognized for training pilots and mechanics, and especially recognized for research within five years,” Charles said. Advanced research wasn’t capable with the old aircraft, but there is an amazing amount of possible research with this new technology. “We’re looking at focusing first on advanced navigation systems, new approach and landing systems, flight operation safety and human factors in maintenance. We want to be the best.”
The process of obtaining the new airplanes began a year ago when the aviation director, Richard Charles, along with Dean of Engineering Scott Hinton and ETE Department Head Kirk Becker, requested aircraft fitting their needs to five different aircraft manufacturers who all flew their aircrafts to Logan for a demonstration, then placed their bids.
Ultimately, Diamond Aircraft Industries won the bid. “They offered the best airplane at the best price,” said Charles. “There was no contest.”
The listing price for the DA40s was $220,000 each and $500,000 each for the DA42s and was paid for entirely through student fees. The airplanes were leased/purchased through a bank, where they will be paid off in 10 years, or could be traded in five years for newer technology.
The 10 Diamond DA40s arrived July 19 and were piloted by USU flight instructors with USU students as passengers. The instructors and students spent a week at the Diamond Aircraft factory in London, Ontario, Canada, training to fly the airplanes to the Logan-Cache Airport. One Diamond DA42 Twin Star airplane arrived Aug. 25, with the other due to arrive within a few weeks.
whitnijo@cc.usu.edu