Textron Aviation has secured an agreement with ATP Flight School for the purchase of 55 Cessna Skyhawk aircraft.

The piston aircraft will add to ATP’s existing fleet of nearly 200 Skyhawks, across 74 training centres across the US.

“This order announcement demonstrates our continued long-term relationship we have with ATP in support of their flight training needs,” said Chris Crow, vice president, Textron Aviation Piston Sales.

“For more than six decades, the legendary Cessna Skyhawk has been one of the world’s top training aircraft. We are thrilled to see these aircraft utilised to inspire the next generation of professional pilots.”

Deliveries throughout 2023 and 2024

Deliveries of the 55 aircraft will begin in late 2023 and continue throughout 2024.

Students in ATP’s Airline Career Pilot Programme will utilise the new Cessna Skyhawks to train as airline pilots amid unprecedented demand for the skillset. The stable flight characteristics, advanced avionics, and proven dispatch reliability of the Cessna Skyhawk make it a dependable training platform for ATP, who flies 40,000 flight hours per month.

Safety-focused training fleet

“ATP takes pride in providing Airline Career Pilot Programme students with one of the newest, most advanced safety-focused training fleets,” said Michael Arnold, director of marketing, ATP Flight School.

“The Skyhawk has proven to be an integral part of the ATP fleet, which system wide delivers 480,000 flight hours and nearly 9,000 pilot certificates issued annually.

“The new order with Textron Aviation will be essential in continuing to provide students with the fastest path to gain certification and start their careers as airline pilots.”
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