SIU Replacing Planes for Aviation Classes

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is going to get some new flying classrooms.
 
The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reports that the university is about to spend more than $2 million to purchase five new Cessna 172 planes to teach students how to fly. The chair of the school's aviation programs, Mike Burgener, says the planes will replace eight decades-old aircraft that are becoming outdated and expensive to maintain.
 
The new Cessnas are four-seat, single-engine planes that cruise at about 140 mph. Burgener says they will be used in private pilot certification courses, instrument certifications and for single-engine time building.
 
School officials also say that student flight fees will pay for the planes.