The aircraft are the second installment of Pilot 100i deliveries this year, according to Piper. The FIT fleet of 50 aircraft includes Piper Seminoles, Archers, Warriors, and now the Pilot 100i. 

“At Florida Tech, our students learn by doing, and we are eager to get them into the flight deck of these cutting-edge Piper Pilot 100is to start learning with our amazing flight instructors,” John Nicklow, president of FIT, said in a statement. “What makes all of this even more meaningful is that many of our alumni working at Piper helped design, build, and test these aircraft. It’s a high-flying example of the power of a Florida Tech education in action.”

According to school officials, the additional aircraft were necessary to support growth of the program and student need. 

Seventeen Florida Tech alumni currently employed at Piper Aircraft joined Florida Tech staff to celebrate the fleet expansion. The alumni fulfill roles in engineering, project management, technical marketing, and production flight testing.

“It’s an honor to continue supplying planes to our long-term Flight School Alliance member, Florida Tech,” said Marc Ouellet, Piper’s vice president of engineering and manufacturing. “Their program is one of the best, and we know from firsthand experience as we have multiple Florida Tech graduates working at the Piper factory.” 

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On Monday at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Piper announced that it renewed its distribution partnership with the aerospace titan, making Boeing its exclusive distributor for key parts and components through 2029.

“We are thrilled to grow this partnership with Boeing,” said Ron Gunnarson, vice president of sales, marketing, and customer support at Piper. “In the coming year, look for improved response time and dedicated, Piper-specific CSR assistance.”

Piper has relied on Boeing as its primary spares depot since 2010. The latter maintains an inventory of Piper parts worth over $22 million and, according to the company, has a fill rate north of 98 percent on forecasted parts. Boeing’s Dallas-Fort Worth warehouse complements Piper depots around the world, including in Europe, to enable international shipments.

Separately, Piper on Thursday announced that it delivered four Pilot 100i’s to the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT), part of a previously agreed order for eight aircraft. FIT is a key customer for the manufacturer, operating a fleet of only Piper aircraft: Archers, Seminoles, and Warriors.

“What makes all of this even more meaningful is that a dozen of our alumni working at Piper helped build these planes,” said John Nicklow, president of FIT. “It’s a high-flying example of the power of a Florida Tech education in action.”

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