Kansas State University expands fleet of Skyhawk aircraft to 20

Textron Aviation announced Tuesday an order for 10 Cessna Skyhawk piston aircraft for the Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus, expanding the school’s fleet of Skyhawk aircraft to 20. The aircraft will help support the university’s pilot training programs.

The Cessna Skyhawk is designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc.

“Kansas State University has been training future pilots in Cessna Skyhawks since their program’s inception in 1987,” said Chris Crow, vice president, Piston Sales, Textron Aviation.

In 2019, the school took delivery of five new Skyhawks in its efforts to continue to modernize its fleet.

Deliveries of the 10 new aircraft, which are equipped with the leading Garmin G1000 NXi avionics system, are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2022.

The Cessna Skyhawk is considered the aircraft of choice for pilot training, and it is the most popular single-engine aircraft in aviation history. Since the aircraft first took to the sky in 1955, more than 45,000 Skyhawks have been delivered to customers around the world.