Cessna recently announced that they delivered a Citation Mustang to the University of North Dakota (UND) last week. The aircraft is to be used for executive travel and flight training to undergraduate and contract students.

In a ceremony held in Wichita the Mustang stood next to a newly refurbished Cessna 150. "Having the Citation Mustang and Cessna 150 side-by-side shows the incredible progress that has been made in flight training in the past 40 years," said Bruce A. Smith, dean of UND Aerospace and president of the UND Aerospace Foundation. "We are excited to be able to offer training in an aircraft that incorporates all the latest technology available to pilots today. We expect the Mustang to be a great recruiting tool for the school and an amazing opportunity for students as they transition from pistons and turboprops to flying jets."

Both Cessna and UND are looking forward to the new experiences that will be available to students and faculty at the university. I think UND has made a great step forward in preparing tomorrows flight students today. By being able to teach students the basics in a Cessna 150 and then being able to transition them to a VLJ speaks greatly of what the university is capable of.