Boeing donates plane to BBCC

MOSES LAKE - A single-engine aircraft popular with bush pilots around the world has been donated to the Big Bend Community College aviation maintenance technology program.

The Helio Courier hit the runway at the Grant County International Airport on March 3, college spokesperson Doug Sly said. It was donated by the Boeing Corporation and, under the company's rules for aircraft donation, is permanently grounded.

The aircraft will be used in the aviation maintenance curriculum, Sly said. Boeing used the aircraft for flight testing.

It's "suited for maneuvering at small airport operations," Sly said, but it's also held in high esteem by bush pilots.

Big Bend's version has a 38-foot wingspan, holds up to five people, and has a camera mount in its belly, Sly said.

The plane can take off and land in less than 250 feet, the website said, and can be outfitted with floats for water landings. It can maintain in-flight control speeds as low as 28 miles per hour, Sly said.