The flight instructors at Southern Illinois University with the school’s new fleet of Cessna 172R Skyhawks.
CARBONDALE, ILL. – Southern Illinois University Aviation welcomed home five brand new Cessna 172R models on December 9, 2011, each equipped with Garmin G1000 glass panels. The aircraft arrived together at the airport after dark. Flight instructors Kevin Krongos, Jeff Jaynes, Brian Harrison, Steve Goetz, and Adiran Krupa with aviation flight students Taylor Breum, Jordan DiGrazia, Scott Blair, Christian Padilla, and David Bias went to retrieve the aircraft from the Cessna factory in Independence, Kansas.
Upon arriving at the Cessna factory, Cessna Aircraft Company’s hospitality was remarkable, commented one of the instructors. The receiving team was treated to a steak dinner, and toured Cessna’s facilities, including the manufacturing, training, and sales buildings.
SIU said that the greatest difference of the new aircraft is the state-of-the-art Garmin G1000 glass cockpit. The glass display, which replaces the basic gage-style flight instruments of most flight training aircraft, offers a plethora of information to the pilot. When utilized correctly, the G1000 greatly increases a pilot’s situational awareness.
When students saw the new aircraft the next day and inquired as to when they would have the opportunity to fly them, they were urged to first read Max Trescotts’ G1000 Glass Cockpit Handbook (available on Amazon.com and Sportys.com).
