Indiana Flight School Going With Cessna Skyhawk JT-A

The university’s aviation division is first customer for the upcoming turbodiesel version of the most popular plane in flying history

Plane & Pilot

Friday, April 07, 2017 at 06:36 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Textron Aviation announced an order for its new Skyhawk JT-A, powered by a Continental CD-155 turbodiesel engine.
The order was placed by Purdue Aviation, a flight school in West Lafayette, Indiana, with FAA approval and delivery expected soon.
The turbodiesel Skyhawk offers advantages such as lower and cheaper fuel consumption, increased speed, shorter takeoff, better hot-and-high performance, and improved range/endurance, featuring a Garmin G1000 NXi cockpit.

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The order is for a single airplane. The 172 JT-A burns less fuel, fuel that’s cheaper, it flies faster, takes off shorter, does better in hot-and-high conditions and has better range and endurance than the gas-piston Skyhawk. The new bird will also feature the new Garmin G1000 NXi cockpit. Textron expects to earn FAA approval for the four-seater later this year, with the delivery to the FBO expected to follow shortly thereafter.

[This article has been updated to correct an error in our reporting that identified the purchaser as Purdue University. The University, which has world-class aviation programs, is not related to the business, Purdue Aviation, that ordered the plane. We regret the error.]

Learn more at Textron.