Spartan To Get New Pipers

Tulsa-based Spartan College continues to add to its training fleet with new Pipers, the companies announced today. Although saying that Spartan “announced today an order for its first tranche of 22 factory-new training aircraft,” in fact the school has already accepted 10 new Archers and two Seminoles from Piper this year. The remaining 10 Archers, all fitted with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics, will be delivered in the fourth quarter of this year.

"Spartan's Flight location at Richard Lloyd Jones Airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma has been re-energized by the brand new, technologically advanced fleet of training aircraft,” says Spartan’s Chief Pilot Officer, Beau Schrader. “As demand for civil aviation pilots grow, we continue to invest in new technology which enhances the educational experience of our students. Our team will use the new aircraft, in addition to our existing fleet, to train future professional pilots,” says Spartan’s CEO, Rob Polston.

"As Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology continues to expand their aviation programs, Piper Aircraft is proud to provide new aircraft which enhance the training experience of their students. We look forward to their continued success and to providing more Piper trainers in support of their commitment to aviation education," says Piper President and CEO Simon Caldecott.

According to GAMA data, Piper has delivered 25 aircraft so far this year (through the first quarter), valued at more than $20 million. Of those, the bulk are Archers, with 18 units delivered; it also delivered four Seminoles and six M600 turboprops in the first quarter. Of course, various factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic woes, have influenced the production numbers this year. During the first quarter of 2019, Piper had delivered 58 units, in what would be its slowest quarter of the year; it ultimately delivered 290 aircraft valued at almost $260 million through 2019.