Wed, Jan 17, 2007
FedEx Express Donates Plane To Aircraft Repair Program
Students in
the aviation program at Southern Arkansas University-Tech in Camden
returned from Christmas break to a very pleasant surprise: FedEx
Express donated a Boeing 727-100 aircraft to the program, which
trains students to repair airplanes.
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports David P. Sutton, managing
director of aircraft acquisition and sales for FedEx Express, is
scheduled to make the donation official during a ceremony at 10:00
am Wednesday at Camden Regional Airport. The donation is the first
jet aircraft donated in almost 40 years of the program.
Sutton says FedEx Express has donated at least 40 planes as it
retires its fleet of 40- to 45-year-old 727-100 s in favor of newer
and more fuel-efficient craft. He said the company typically
donates about 10 planes a year, evaluating training programs for
their quality before choosing recipients.
"We have worked hard over the last few years to identify top
technical training schools, museums, airport police and fire
departments for receiving these donated planes," Sutton said. "We
just look at the quality of the aviation programs. We have a number
of requests, and we can’t fulfill all of them."
The 15 full-time students in Camden and 22 students at Texarkana
Regional Airport are pursuing associate degrees in applied
science in aviation maintenance technology. Students at both
campuses will get to work with the jet on a rotation basis.
"It was almost like, 'Look what Santa brought you,'" said Bill
Archer, SAU-Tech’s aviation program coordinator. "The guys
knew we had a request in, but they had no idea we were going to get
it."
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