Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) Aviation Science Program, housed within the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), has added a fourth Guimbal aircraft to its fleet at Hangar 5 at Clarksville Regional Airport.
The Guimbal G2 Cabri has a state-of-the-art touchscreen Garmin G500H, GTN 650TXi, and Mid-Continent instrumentation. It also includes an upgraded GTX 345 transponder to identify other aircraft in close proximity and send the aircraft’s position to others with similar abilities, allowing for an increased level of safety and situational awareness.
These upgrades will help APSU’s aviation students familiarize themselves with digital information systems similar to those of many helicopters in the industry.
“It’s a fantastic aircraft, a 21st-century aircraft,” said Charles Weigandt, the Aviation Sciences Program’s director and chief pilot. “Because it’s more state-of-the-art, the leap from this training aircraft to more conventional, commercial aircraft is smaller because it’s more up-to-date.”
By Weigandt’s estimate, owning the Guimbals will reduce Austin Peay State University’s operating costs by at least 45% as opposed to leasing the French-made aircraft.
The four wholly-owned Guimbal helicopters are joined in the Austin Peay State University fleet by two leased Robinson R44s at Hangar 5, which has more than 10,000 feet of aircraft storage space. The program has grown exponentially since it launched in 2019 – there are now 53 students in the program, including eight expected to graduate in 2024 and a large influx of incoming freshmen scheduled to hit campus this fall.
About the Austin Peay State University College of STEM
The Austin Peay State University College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) provides studies for students in the areas of agriculture, astronomy, aviation sciences, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and environmental sciences, engineering physics, engineering technology, information technology, mathematics, medical laboratory sciences, radiologic sciences, and physics.
Our outstanding, discipline-based programs are student-centered and designed to prepare students for responsible positions at all levels of research, industry, education, medicine, and government positions.
