A Boeing 727-200F aircraft from FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., made its final descent March 28 onto the runway at the Williamsport Regional Airport. Celebration of the landing and tremendously generous donation to Penn College took place at the Lumley Aviation Center. “As we retire this 727 from our fleet, we are proud to give back to the aviation community,” said David Sutton, managing director of Aircraft Acquisition and Sales for FedEx. “The donation of this aircraft by FedEx is just one example of the many ways we support educational endeavors, reflecting the community spirit shared by all FedEx employees in the communities where we live and work.”
Approaching from the east, the plane nears the Williamsport Regional Airport – and the final leg of its morning flight from Allentown.
Students and other onlookers line the runway, cameras in hand to document the arrival of a "training tool unlike no other."
A FedEx crew member guides the plane as it taxis closer to its new home.
The FedEx family includes these alumni of Williamsport Area Community College (Penn College's immediate predecessor institution): From left are Walt Chesnut, ’74 (a retired FedEx employee), Robert Hoffman, '85; and Marty Slautterback ‘78.
Davie Jane Gilmour, Penn College president, gets a tour of the cockpit from David Sutton, managing director of aircraft acquisition and sales for FedEx.
On the day after delivery, the engines that propelled the plane to Montoursville were "swapped out" for those that will be used for instruction.
Despite its size, the Boeing 727-200F follows Wednesday's pinpoint landing with an equally smooth ride toward the hangar.
Ryan M. Enders, an aviation maintenance technology major from York (and just-elected president of the Student Government Association), is interviewed by WNEP's Nikki Krize.
A handshake officially completes the plane's transfer from professional service to academic use.
After logging 51,474 flight hours over the past 36 years, both in passenger and delivery service, the plane (named Nathan, after a FedEx employee's son) takes a much deserved rest.
Aviation students get a closer look during public tours of the plane.
As a crowd anticipates the big moment, a commemorative model sits atop the podium.
As several of them plug their ears against the noise of aircraft engines, attendees at Wednesday's ceremony watch from the Lumley Aviation Center hangar.
Standing beneath the plane (and out of the rain that moved into the area at midmorning), students assess a future lab project.
Inside the cargo hold of the donated Boeing 727 transport aircraft are, from left: Paul L. Starkey, vice president for academic affairs/provost; Barry R. Stiger, vice president for institutional advancement; Davie Jane Gilmour, college president; David Sutton, managing director of aircraft acquisition and sales for FedEx; Colin W. Williamson, dean of transportation technology; and Brett A. Reasner, assistant dean of transportation technology.
Safety first – and a second-to-none FedEx maintenance crew – exchange engines.
The latest addition to the college's instructional aircraft is parked near an earlier (and considerably less formidable) member of the fleet.
— Photos by Larry D. Kauffman, digital publishing specialist/photographer; Tom Wilson, writer/editor-PCToday;
and Fred Gilmour, alumnus/retired faculty member
Approaching from the east, the plane nears the Williamsport Regional Airport – and the final leg of its morning flight from Allentown.
Students and other onlookers line the runway, cameras in hand to document the arrival of a "training tool unlike no other."
A FedEx crew member guides the plane as it taxis closer to its new home.
The FedEx family includes these alumni of Williamsport Area Community College (Penn College's immediate predecessor institution): From left are Walt Chesnut, ’74 (a retired FedEx employee), Robert Hoffman, '85; and Marty Slautterback ‘78.
Davie Jane Gilmour, Penn College president, gets a tour of the cockpit from David Sutton, managing director of aircraft acquisition and sales for FedEx.
On the day after delivery, the engines that propelled the plane to Montoursville were "swapped out" for those that will be used for instruction.
Despite its size, the Boeing 727-200F follows Wednesday's pinpoint landing with an equally smooth ride toward the hangar.
Ryan M. Enders, an aviation maintenance technology major from York (and just-elected president of the Student Government Association), is interviewed by WNEP's Nikki Krize.
A handshake officially completes the plane's transfer from professional service to academic use.
After logging 51,474 flight hours over the past 36 years, both in passenger and delivery service, the plane (named Nathan, after a FedEx employee's son) takes a much deserved rest.
Aviation students get a closer look during public tours of the plane.
As a crowd anticipates the big moment, a commemorative model sits atop the podium.
As several of them plug their ears against the noise of aircraft engines, attendees at Wednesday's ceremony watch from the Lumley Aviation Center hangar.
Standing beneath the plane (and out of the rain that moved into the area at midmorning), students assess a future lab project.
Inside the cargo hold of the donated Boeing 727 transport aircraft are, from left: Paul L. Starkey, vice president for academic affairs/provost; Barry R. Stiger, vice president for institutional advancement; Davie Jane Gilmour, college president; David Sutton, managing director of aircraft acquisition and sales for FedEx; Colin W. Williamson, dean of transportation technology; and Brett A. Reasner, assistant dean of transportation technology.
Safety first – and a second-to-none FedEx maintenance crew – exchange engines.
The latest addition to the college's instructional aircraft is parked near an earlier (and considerably less formidable) member of the fleet.