Eight Warriors And Two Seminoles Add To The Existing Fleet 

In a Tuesday news conference at the Singapore Air Show, Piper announced the sale of eight Piper Warriors and two Piper Seminoles -- fully equipped with the most advanced technology available in single- and twin-engine trainers -- to the Australian Airline Pilot Academy (AAPA).

The academy is a wholly owned subsidiary of Regional Express Holdings Limited (Rex).

"We are honored that AAPA is continuing its long-standing relationship with Piper as its exclusive provider of instructional aircraft," said Mary Messuti, Managing Director, Piper Aircraft Asia.  "AAPA's acquisition of these advanced trainers to augment its existing fleet of Piper aircraft shows the school's dedication to providing its students with the unique combination of reliability and advanced technology that both the Piper Warrior and Piper Seminole deliver.  At the same time, we are making major commitments to expanding our business and providing top quality aircraft and service throughout Asia/Pacific, and AAPA can look forward to continued best-in-class sales and service from Piper in the years ahead."

Piper Warrior File Photo

AAPA's new aircraft take the Academy's existing fleet to 20 Piper aircraft: 16 Piper Warriors and four Piper Seminoles.  These aircraft give AAPA's  students hands-on experience with state-of-the-art systems -- including full-glass panel cockpit displays similar to those found in commercial aviation - and two of the world's  most reliable and performance-driven aircraft.

Commenting on the sale AAPA, Chairman and Rex Managing Director, Jim Davis, said: "We have been operating the latest generation Piper aircraft in our school since its inception just over two years ago and are very pleased with their performance, reliability and the training experience they provide for our cadets. The advanced technology cockpits are ideal in terms of preparing them for flying modern airline aircraft."  

AAPA -- Located in Wagga Wagga, Australia, at Mangalore Airport -- has a current enrollment of 39 cadets.  The Academy's most advanced students (enrolled in April 2008) are currently in the flying stage of their curriculum and on track to graduate later this year and commence their conversion training onto Rex's SAAB 340 aircraft. A new group of 20 cadets is scheduled to be enrolled every three months, and all of AAPA's students are being trained exclusively in Piper Aircraft with full glass cockpits.

Piper Seminole File Photo

Piper Warriors and Seminoles have long been considered a "staple" aircraft for flight schools.  In addition, the Piper Seminole is considered a complex trainer, providing students with the hands-on experience to learn special skill sets required for advanced ratings and licenses.  
 
Piper says the benefits of going "full-line" include:

• Maintenance:  Technicians can focus on one brand of aircraft.  This reduces airplane downtime, and also decreases the training-time for technicians.  In many cases, aircraft components and systems are similar from one Piper model to the next. Plus, there is the added benefit of dealing with only one company for warranty, parts and service issues.
• Flight Training:  As students move up through the line, they can focus their attention on their progression of specific skills.  They learn new, more complex systems -- rather than struggle with flight characteristics inherent in aircraft manufactured by different companies - and are consequently better able to gain the knowledge and experience they need to achieve advanced ratings and licenses.
• Financial:  There are financial benefits to making a full-line fleet purchase, such as volume pricing for aircraft and parts. 
• Marketing:  From a marketing perspective, with today's tough competition to attract students, new equipment and advanced technology give schools an upper hand.  To that end, Piper incorporates the most advanced certified components available in today's market.

FMI: www.piper.com