| Updated: 8/21/2012 6:01 pm |
Published: 8/21/2012 5:27 pm
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Students at Tulsa's Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology will take their training to new heights with a big donation.
FedEx donated the 727 airplane to the college Tuesday.
"This is the first contribution FedEx has made of an airplane in Oklahoma," said Tulsa City Mayor Dewey Bartlett.
It's also the largest plane ever donated to Spartan College.
"I'm excited and optimistic about the quality we will provide in the future," said Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology President Jeremy Gibson.
Minutes after the big announcement instructors could be seen showing students how the different parts of the plane worked.
"It gives us a real thing that students can look at that has been in operation," Spartan College Instructor Sam Williams.
The plane cost anywhere from $1.5-million to $3-million. It will allow students to perform real-life system checks and inspections.
"This will help us advance and gives us more hands on training working with larger aircrafts," said Spartan College Student Dazzamon Jones.
He isn't used to working with any plane this big but ever since the schools brought it in he's been waiting to check it out.
"I was wondering when they were going to let us get in it,” the 20-year-old said. “I'm just dying to get in it."
Jones wants to one day be a pilot but he's looking to graduate here first getting the experience he needs.
"Definitely, looking forward to changing some tires, maybe washing it down, doing some minor repairs to it," Jones told FOX23.
Williams says it's just what these students need to land a job.
"I think it's very important because so many of these students have even been this close to a real airplane," Williams said.
There are 850 students at Spartan college. All of which will have access to this new aircraft.
