100 Cessna Skyhawk for ATP Flight School

Direct news from EAA AirVenture 2019 - an agreement between Textron Aviation and ATP Flight School, for orders and options for up to 100 Cessna Skyhawk aircraft through 2023. The new aircraft will be supplementing and replacing aircraft in ATP’s current fleet of over 375 aircraft and adds to the 20 Skyhawks ATP has already taken delivery of over the last year.

“For more than two decades, the Cessna Skyhawk has led the light piston segment in deliveries, and we are thrilled that one of the largest Skyhawk fleet operators in the world, ATP Flight School, continues to select the platform to modernize its fleet,” said Chris Crow, vice president, Textron Aviation Piston Sales. “The new agreement with ATP demonstrates that the Skyhawk continues to be the world’s definitive training aircraft for future pilots.”

The new Skyhawks will be used exclusively by students in ATP’s Airline Career Pilot Program, as they train on the most efficient path towards becoming airline pilots amid unprecedented demand for airline pilots. The stable flight characteristics, advanced avionics, and proven dispatch reliability of the airplane have made it a dependable training platform for ATP, who flies 31,000 flight hours per month.

"Our students count on us to provide them with the most efficient path to the airlines, and we rely on the Cessna Skyhawk for delivering on the commitment," said Justin Dennis, ATP's president. "ATP has more graduates flying at the airlines than any other academy. Continuing to invest in our students' success with this fleet order allows us to put the best training aircraft into their hands, setting the foundation they'll carry with them throughout their career as they go on to fly for our airline partners and every major U.S. airline."

The Skyhawk platform is the world standard for pilot training and is renowned for offering the best combination of modern features, including the leading Garmin G1000 NXi avionics system with wireless connectivity, a standard angle-of-attack display system, and proven dependability. The 870-pound payload makes it perfect for training multiple students at once.

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

ATP’s Airline Career Pilot Program prepares pilots for airline careers from zero time to 1,500 hours, with CFI jobs and airline employment. Addressing the pilot shortage, airlines attract new pilots to the industry with ATP's Tuition Reimbursement Program, where airlines sponsor a portion of pilots' flight training loan repayment. ATP also provides type-rating and ATP CTP certification. ATP's 375 -plus aircraft fly over 322,000 hours annually to provide nearly 7,700   FAA pilot certificates each year. As America’s largest flight school, ATP is the leading supplier of professionally trained pilots to the nation’s regional airlines.

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellations or deferrals of orders.