Embry-Riddle Selects the Ultimate Training Aircraft, the Cessna Skyhawk

Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today announced a Memorandum of Understanding to supply Cessna Skyhawk aircraft to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Embry-Riddle has agreed to an initial purchase of at least 60 aircraft between 2019 and 2022, with options for additional units. Embry-Riddle and Textron Aviation held a signing ceremony yesterday during the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis.

“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. “Textron Aviation continues to build on its strong relationship with Embry-Riddle going back more than 20 years, and we look forward to helping train the next generation of pilots.”

“In keeping with Embry-Riddle’s rigorous focus on aviation safety, new aircraft for our fleet were selected following an exhaustive evaluation by a team of experts on both our Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., campuses,” said Dr. P. Barry Butler, president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “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.”

Embry-Riddle has purchased more than 75 aircraft, primarily Skyhawks, from Textron Aviation since 2014. The aircraft, which are based at both Embry-Riddle facilities in Daytona Beach, Fla. and Prescott, Ariz., support the University’s need for enhanced training platforms as its flight program continues to grow. The new aircraft will primarily replenish the school’s current fleet of Skyhawks.