Embry-Riddle to buy 60 Cessna Skyhawks

The university with campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona, and the aircraft manufacturer signed a memorandum of understanding for the deal July 24 at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

“Having a customer like Embry-Riddle commit to long-term selection of the Skyhawk as their preferred trainer of choice is a continued testament to its status as the most popular single-engine aircraft ever built,” said Ron Draper, president and CEO of Textron Aviation, noting that the company looks forward "to helping train the next generation of pilots.”

The agreement includes the option to buy additional units of the Skyhawk, which comes equipped with a Garmin G1000 NXi avionics system with wireless connectivity, and a standard angle-of-attack display system. The purchase agreement was confirmed following an exhaustive evaluation by experts at both campuses, said P. Barry Butler, president of Embry-Riddle.

“We are honored to extend our successful 21-year relationship with Textron Aviation to replenish the Embry-Riddle fleet with Skyhawk aircraft, to provide our students with a highly effective and reliable training platform that will serve them well,” he said, according to the joint announcement.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University said it has purchased more than 75 aircraft, mostly Skyhawks, from Textron since 2014. The new aircraft on order will replenish the school’s Skyhawk fleet.

More Skyhawks have been delivered to customers around the world than any other type of aircraft, with more than 44,000 put into service, the announcement said.