Department to replace planes

By Brian Dillon
Staff Writer

More than half the airplanes that Purdue uses in its flight program will be replaced over the summer. Fourteen brand new airplanes will start to arrive in June and will be ready for use next semester.

Many of the current planes are now 11 years old but have gotten to the point where they need replacing.

The new planes are called Warrior III's, made by the Piper Aircraft Company. They are similar to the current Piper Cadet airplanes that will be replaced. The shape and design resemble each other. On the inside, the cockpit layout will be slightly different. The main difference will be the addition of a Garamin GS 430, a global positioning system.

The current planes use a network of ground-based antennas for navigation; the new planes will use satellites for navigation.

The planes being replaced make up the bulk of the training fleet, approximately 13 of the 24 planes currently used. Referred to as basic trainers, they are the planes students use in their first three semesters of flight classes.

Although no exact delivery dates have yet been set, over the summer, flight instructors from Purdue will make the trip down to Vero Beach, Fla., where the planes are made for pick up. So far, three trips are planned with five of the planes coming back in June, three in July and six in August. The faculty members are picking the planes up instead of them being delivered by Piper to save money on a fee that would be charged for delivery.

Both the faculty and the students are looking forward to the new planes.

"We're all excited to get the new fleet," said Larry Gross, an associate professor in the aviation technology department.

Regarding the condition of the planes being used now, they are fine in terms of airworthiness. It's just that the older they get, the more repairs are needed. Also, with the replacement of the engine suggested every 2,000 hours by the manufacturer, many are on their fourth engine.

"They've got a lot of hours on them. They're coming in a little more often for repairs. It makes more sense to replace them than to keep repairing them," said Gross.

The past year has seen a lot of planning for the purchase. Although the bulk of the preparation has been done recently, long-term planning was started in 1989 right after the current planes arrived.

"The planning almost goes back to the purchase of the previous fleet," said Gross.

Two aircraft manufacturers were sought for possible business, both the Piper and Cessna aircraft companies. The two make up the majority of training aircraft seen in aviation today.

The decision was to go with Piper Warriors instead of Cessna 172 aircraft.

"Both are really fine aircraft," Gross said.

Price was not the deciding factor because the price for the two is comparable. Purdue simply liked the design of the Piper Warrior better. The two planes have different wing positions. With the wings being lower on the Piper model, it was decided that this would be a better asset. Also, Purdue has chosen Piper planes before.

"We've had Pipers historically in the program," said Gross.

Because Piper aircraft have been used in the past, the maintenance staff has in its possession a good deal of spare parts and even a few engines for use only on Piper planes. These parts could not be utilized in the future if Cessna's were chosen.

Currently, there are only 13 basic trainer aircraft. With 14 coming in, the addition of one more aircraft to the fleet will benefit the program. This is because, many times, there are not enough planes for all the students needing them. With aircraft being temporarily out of service for repairs and many students finishing up courses at the same time, the need for planes is high.

"It (the addition) will help alleviate the pressure. The increase will try to help students get finished (on time)," said Gross.

As for future replacements, this will be all for a few years. The four Piper Arrow airplanes that Purdue uses for its advanced training are getting old, though, as well. Gross said that within three years, they will need to be replaced.

The planes being replaced will be sold at an auction to the public.

This will take place some time in August after the summer flight session, marking the first time Purdue has held an open auction. Previous fleets have either been traded in or have been sold in a closed-bid auction. The reason for the open auction is that the planes are in great condition for the amount of hours on them.

"The planes are so well maintained that we'd like prospective buyers to see them. We want to get the best value for those planes to benefit the students so their flight fees won't be as high," said Thomas Carney, professor and associate department head in the aviation technology department.

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