SIUC set to buy 5 new planes for aviation program

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) - Southern Illinois University Carbondale is going to get some new flying classrooms.

The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reports that the university is about to spend more than $2 million to purchase five new Cessna 172 planes to teach students how to fly. The chair of the school's aviation programs, Mike Burgener, says the planes will replace eight decades-old aircraft that are becoming outdated and expensive to maintain.

The new Cessnas are four-seat, single-engine planes that cruise at about 140 mph. Burgener says they will be used in private pilot certification courses, instrument certifications and for single-engine time building.

School officials also say that student flight fees will pay for the planes.

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Information from: Southern Illinoisan, http://www.southernillinoisan.com