The best students from the five universities in the Top Hawk program will also have the chance at a summer internship with Textron.
Cessna has selected the following five universities as partners in their 2017 Top Hawk program:
- Eastern Kentucky University
- The Ohio State University
- Auburn University
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale
- Louisiana Tech University
Cessna will be delivering a new, custom branded Cessna 172 Skyhawk to each of the five universities in early 2017. The aircraft will be used to support flight training, and help with both recruiting efforts and promotional activities throughout the year.
Doug May, the Vice President of Piston Aircraft, said that for the third year of the Top Hawk program, they’re excited to be able to expand its reach to include five university partners in 2017. He added that “These universities are renowned for their innovative aviation programs and we are confident they will represent the Top Hawk program and Cessna brand very well as we work together to provide students state-of-the-art resources and empower them to choose a rewarding career in aviation.“
More Details on the Top Hawk Program
According to Textron Aviation (Cessna’s parent company), they continue to partner with the nation’s leading aviation programs in order to “support the advancement of general aviation and the modernization of aircraft training fleets” and to also help in finding and training the next generation of aviators.
To this end, Textron is also providing another benefit to the five selected universities. The top students from each of the programs will be given the opportunity of a summer internship at Textron Aviation. The company says that this internship will provide important exposure beyond flight training, and would include real-world experience working with a variety of corporate departments including sales, marketing, flight operations, integrated supply chain, and engineering, all with the intent of exposing the students to as many aviation career options as possible.
Textron reports that Garmin and Bose will also both be taking part in the Top Hawk program again, and will be supplying several products for the aircraft being received by the universities. Garmin will be providing a G1000 database subscription, GDL39 ADS-B receiver, Garmin Pilot subscription and Garmin VIRB XE HD action camera, while Bose will provide an A20 Aviation Headset.
