Pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company donated two Gulfstream IVs to aviation maintenance programs at Purdue University and Vincennes University. The twinjets were delivered to the Indiana schools late last week.
Undergraduate aeronautical engineering technology students at Purdue Polytechnic’s School of Aviation and Transportation Technology will use its GIV to learn applied air vehicle maintenance and engineering principles, while graduate students will have access to it as a non-flying research platform, according to Tom Frooninckx, the school’s interim head.
Vincennes University’s Aviation Technology Center (ATC) at Indianapolis International Airport will use its GIV to expose students to corporate aircraft maintenance. “This is an area of our program that has been challenging to address in the past simply due to the expense of these types of aircraft,” said ATC director Michael Gehrich.
“Lilly is a longstanding advocate for quality education in the STEM disciplines—science, technology, engineering, and math—especially within our home state of Indiana,” said Lilly senior director of aviation operations Scott Farrar. “Through this donation to Purdue University and Vincennes University, we hope that students pursuing careers in aviation maintenance will have access to additional hands-on learning and application. It is a privilege to collaborate with Purdue and Vincennes to help prepare future aviators and aviation mechanics.”