Training takes off at K-State Salina with new aircraft
Taking to the sky will be an even greater thrill for professional pilot students at
Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus as they will now be
flying in new aircraft that will enhance the training capabilities that the campus
offers.
Thanks to donations, K-State Salina purchased 17 new aircraft. Included in the new
fleet are 10 new Cessna 172 Skyhawks with Garmin G1000 avionics from Textron Aviation,
five new Cirrus SR20s and two Beechcraft G58-Barons. These planes will provide students
with training in a top aircraft and help accommodate the campus’ growing aviation
enrollment.
“This has been over a year in the making,” said K-State Salina Chief Pilot Brandy
Shaw ’10. “We ended up with quite a bit of feedback from our students on what they
wanted to see. The students are excited to fly in something that will be able to offer
a different type of training.”
As the chief pilot, Shaw handles much of the administrative and standardization work
that goes into being a Federal Aviation Administration Part 141-approved school. True
to the campus’ student-focused approach, she is involved with many student pilots
as they progress through the professional pilot degree program and evaluates their
flying skills. She even instructs a class that most students take their first year
in the program. Since pilot students train nearly 365 days out of the year, Shaw says
the campus was due for an upgrade in its aircraft.
“We put many hours on our planes so they naturally need to be updated. This allows
us for less down time during maintenance,” Shaw said.
K-State Salina plans to have all the new aircraft on campus this summer, once their
new purple paint job is complete. Students will begin training in these aircraft during
the upcoming fall semester. The new aircraft are bringing a great enthusiasm inside
of the pilot program.
“This is a major step toward our vision to meet industry demands by providing students
experience from a primary trainer all the way to a business-class airplane,” said
Alysia Starkey ’10, K-State Salina dean and CEO.
One of the biggest changes that students will feel in the aircraft is their enhanced
power. The Cirrus SR20 aircraft will have advanced safety features and have over 200
horsepower, while the G58s will feature up to 600 horsepower. The additional horsepower
will allow instructors to teach students to develop their ability to manage the momentum
and power of a plane, as well as make the training a more authentic experience to
what the student might see in their professional careers.
Both Shaw and Assistant Flight Chief Karen Morrison ’16 were among a K-State Salina
delegation that were able to already make a flight in the new SR20 aircraft. Morrison
says that students will immediately notice a difference when flying the new planes.
“It’s a very smooth aircraft,” Morrison said. “The new planes will prepare the students
for real life when they’re flying commercial in those faster aircraft. It will prepare
them for different types of aircraft, learning different systems.
“I believe K-State Salina’s connections to industry like Textron and Cirrus is a huge
thing. Not every school has a Cirrus and that sets us apart,” Morrison said.
The biggest impact that the new aircraft will have for students in this degree is
the versatility of flight training allowing students to attain their career goals
of anything from the airline industry, corporate aviation, military and the ag industry.
“We want to make sure that our students are prepared for multiple different avenues
of industry,” Shaw said. “We’re integrating the SR20 as a steppingstone in order to
continue with the professional development of our students no matter which career
they choose.”
