USU gains 10 up-to-date aircraft

LOGAN — Comparing them to luxury cars, students at Utah State University welcomed 10 new single-engine airplanes to the school's aviation program.

"This will give our students the edge when it comes to being hired by an airline," flight instructor Andy Wegener said.

The DA40 Diamond Star planes will replace Cessna models that are 30 years old or more. Students and instructors flew them to Logan-Cache Airport from Ontario, Canada, where they were made.

Spectators watched the landings and inspected the planes, which have computerized control panels and flat screens in the cockpit.

"It's like the Bentley of training aircraft," sophomore Tyson Vencill said. "I'll feel a lot more prepared knowing I have flown the most advanced equipment out there right now."

The DA40s are lighter and faster than Cessnas. On the two-day trip, students and instructors flew to western Nebraska from the Toronto area in one day — unthinkable with the other fleet, said Rick Charles, USU's director of aviation technology.

The program, which has approximately 340 students, prepares graduates for jobs with commercial airlines, private aviation or the military.

The planes, acquired with financing from a bank, should last at least 10 years before any upgrades in technology, Charles said.

There are more planes to come: USU is getting two Diamond DA42 Twin Stars in August.