United Aviate Academy has purchased a fleet of twenty-five Cirrus TRAC SR20 aircraft for its ab-initio training programme.
The Academy is part of United’s pilot career development programme, which aims to offer streamlined paths to a United flight deck for beginning and established pilots. Within the next decade, United aims to hire more than 10,000 pilots, with 5,000 new pilots passing through the Academy.
The Cirrus TRAC SR20 aircraft will be used for early pilot training at the only ab-initio flight academy operated by a major U.S airline. The Academy has the option and purchase rights to fifty more SR20 aircraft as it expands. The SR20 aircraft includes features found on modern flight decks such as integrated engine indication and crew alerting/warning systems.
David Moser, Vice President of Fleet and Special Mission Sales for Cirrus Aircraft, said “With its advanced flight management system and hazard avoidance features, the aircraft offers a training platform with capabilities that prepare students for the transport category jets that United Aviate students will fly during their airline careers.”
Curtis Brunjes, United’s Managing Director for Aviate and Pilot Strategy, said “United is thrilled to have chosen the Cirrus TRAC SR20 as the single-engine training aircraft for our United Aviate Academy. It reflects our commitment to preparing our future Captains using cutting-edge technology and safety systems. Cirrus Aircraft has been an innovative force in general aviation and we are proud to partner as we lead our industry developing the next generation of pilots.”
The TRAC series is the Cirrus range of single-engine piston aircraft with some mods to make them more usable for training, such as a hard wearing cabin interior and floor material. Features include standard Cirrus equipment such as Garmin dual-screen flight deck, whole aircraft emergency parachute system, electronic stability and protection, four-point seatbelts with built-in airbags and cuffed wing design to minimise the chance of spinning the aircraft.
Discover more about the United Aviate Academy here
