Piper Aircraft, Inc. has completed delivery of the 100th Piper Archer to go to ATP Flight School. The delivery comes as part of an original agreement made in April of 2013 for up to 100 aircraft to the flight school.
ATP, America’s largest flight school, specializes in airline pilot training and pilot career development. The school initially agreed to purchase a fleet of 15 Piper Archer TX single-engine, piston-powered advanced training aircraft for delivery in late 2013 and since then has exercised all options for an additional 85 Archers.
“Piper Aircraft is proud of our continuous partnership with ATP Flight School. ATP’s Airline and Commercial Pilot Training programs together with the advanced Piper training aircraft are made to support and provide each student with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience needed to meet the demands of the airline industry.” said Simon Caldecott, Piper President and CEO.
ATP Flight School, which holds the distinction of being the largest flight school in the United States and the leading supplier of pilots to the nation’s regional airlines, is now the largest Piper fleet operator in the world. With 95 Piper PA-44 Seminoles and 100 Piper Archer TXs making up more than half of their fleet, this new delivery of Archer TXs will bring them to over 250 Piper trainers.
“The Piper Archer has been a proven asset in the Airline Career Pilot Program, with 92,000 hours flown in the last 12 months,” said ATP president Justin Dennis. “Providing our students and instructors with access to safe and technically advanced aircraft is key to ensuring they are positioned for successful airline pilot careers. With ATP’s next Piper order, we remain committed to investing in our students’ success and in our ability to meet the unprecedented airline demand for professionally trained pilots.”
