SFA students first in America to fly new two-seater plane

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KETK) – Stephen F. Austin State University aviation students became the first in the nation to fly the new Tecnam P-Mentor training aircraft.

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“Tecnam has been flying this airframe all over the world for several years, and I had the opportunity to fly one in Brazil to test it,” said Jack Gainer, SFA’s chief flight science instructor pilot. “The P-Mentors we received are even more advanced than this airplane, and we’re the first in the country to have them. Not only are we the first to fly them in the United States, but they came in our SFA purple.”

The Tecnam P-Mentor is a state-of-the-art Italian two-seater trainer with the latest avionics and a fuel-efficient engine. According to a press release, the SFA flight science program and their training on the P-Mentor are offered in partnership with the HCH flight training school.

“The delivery of the P-Mentor completes our fleet conversion to the comprehensive Tecnam Flight Program,” said Kristen Conklin, president of HCH Aviation and a 2009 SFA graduate. “The innovation, low operating costs and aerodynamics of this platform are ideal for our students and our operations. This, combined with the reliability of Tecnam Aircraft products, made selecting the P-Mentor an easy decision.”

Josi Oujesky, an aeronautical science student at SFA, was the first female student to pilot the P-Mentor, becoming the first person in the country to pilot the new aircraft model.

“She said the P-Mentor was completely different and the airplane was more stable,” Gainer said. “It was designed that way, with a lot more control and some amazing technical aerodynamic details. It’s just a really fun airplane for students to fly.”

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According to a press release, they got their first four P-Mentors back in June, will receive three more before the fall semester begins, and will receive two more in the spring.

“One of the things we’re really interested in, both SFA and HCH Aviation, is maintaining a modern fleet,” Gainer said. “We want a new, clean fleet that’s well-maintained. Compared to some of the other aviation training universities that are still flying airplanes from the ’60s, ’70s or ’80s, we’re going to have a pretty large fleet.”

Incoming Flying Jacks may have the chance to fly one of the new aircraft during the first week of the program. To learn more, visit the SFA website online.

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