As the trend toward diesel training aircraft continues to supplant traditional avgas fleets, Cochise College in Douglas, Arizona, has become the latest school to turn to jet-A pistons by ordering six RedHawk airplanes from Redbird Flight Simulations.
Cochise College, which has been providing aviation training for more than four decades, says the decision to switch to the RedHawk was a result of the additional performance and cost savings provided by the Redbird’s remanufactured Cessna 172. According to Belinda Burnett, the director of aviation programs and chief flight instructor at the school, the RedHawk outclimbed the school’s existing fleet while burning no more than 5 gallons per hour.
The RedHawk, a project started by Redbird in 2012, is a rebuilt Cessna 172 M, N or P model. The aircraft, which goes for a total price of $249,000, is given a new Continental Centurion turbo diesel engine along with modern glass-panel avionics.
The Cochise College RedHawks will be part of a fleet of 12 RedHawks flying nationwide.
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