Smithfield, North Carolina-based flight school Blue Line Aviation signed a purchase agreement for up to 115 Piper Archer TX piston singles and Seminole piston twins this week at the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida. The deal is a firm order for 55 aircraft, with options for 60 more.
Blue Line intends to fully replace its existing single- and multi-engine fleet with the Piper aircraft. Deliveries are set to begin in the second half of this year, and the company estimates the transition to the new aircraft types will take four years to complete.
The flight school, which is known for its six-month career pilot program, also announced an expansion into a new location at Winter Haven Regional Airport (KGIF) in Central Florida. Its to-be-delivered Pipers will be used at both its Smithfield and Winter Haven bases.
“Blue Line has a track record of delivering results and relies on our partners to help us do so,” said Blue Line Aviation founder Trey Walters. “Expanding our fleet partnership to Piper is a step towards reliably expanding our fleet rapidly to serve more students. We are further excited to be purchasing American-made airplanes built in Florida, which we will soon be calling home.”
Piper also announced at Sun ‘n Fun that it recently delivered a Seminole to Inter-American University in Puerto Rico, marking the first new Seminole to be delivered into the territory in 25 years. The purchase agreement for this airplane was signed at last year’s Sun ‘n Fun show.