July 7, 2020
The donation of two Gulfstream IV business aircraft from pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company will help Vincennes University (VU) and Purdue University provide a competitive advantage to aviation maintenance students pursuing degrees at those institutions.
Lilly delivered one of the jets to VU’s Aviation Technology Center (ATC) located on the property of Indianapolis International Airport on June 26, with the jet donated to Purdue arriving at Purdue University Airport the same day.
“The hands-on training using newer aircraft is critical for technicians to feel prepared as they step into the industry,” said Stewart D’Leon, NBAA director, technical operations. “However, the exciting part about this is having aircraft that are exclusively used for business aviation. This brings visibility of our industry to current students and allows them to become familiar with business aircraft at an important time in the development of their training.”
Vincenne’s ATC Director Michael Gehrich said, “Lilly’s donation of this GIV will be yet another important way for VU to set our program apart from other aviation programs. This plane will expand our students’ training experience and allow them even more opportunities with employers who service these types of aircraft.”
Scott Farrar, Lilly’s senior director of aviation operations, stated that the company is a longstanding advocate for quality STEM education, especially within their home state of Indiana.
“Through this donation to Purdue and Vincennes universities, we hope that students pursuing careers in aviation maintenance will have access to additional hands-on learning and application,” he said.
In addition to the Gulfstream IV, Vincennes is one of only a few schools that houses a fully-functioning Boeing 737 airliner used solely for maintenance training.