Poland's Rzeszów University of Technology Adds Piper Archer III for Advanced IFR Training in 2026

Poland – Rzeszów University of Technology has added its first Piper PA-28-181 Archer III to the fleet of its Aviation Training Center (Ośrodek Kształcenia Lotniczego – OKL) at Jasionka, expanding the operation to 15 aircraft. The aircraft will primarily support advanced instrument training and provide students with a transition from conventional cockpit instrumentation to more modern avionics and radio-navigation systems.

• The university’s 15-aircraft fleet now comprises seven Socata TB-9 Tampicos, one PA-28-181 Archer III, three Piper PA-28R-201 Arrows, three multi-engine PA-34-220T Seneca Vs and one Zlin Z-242L aerobatic aircraft. OKL also operates two ALSIM ALX FNPT II flight training devices.
• The Archer III, registered SP-TUB, was manufactured in 2009 and acquired from a private owner in Sweden. The purchase price is at approximately PLN2 million (approximately US$536,000 at the August 28 exchange rate), financed from the university’s own funds.
• The four-seat, single-engine, fixed-gear aircraft will be used for IFR training including procedural manoeuvres, standard departures and arrivals, instrument approaches and navigation exercises. The university said the aircraft is equipped with avionics and radio-navigation equipment intended to expose students to more advanced cockpit systems.
• The Archer III will also support practical education for aircraft maintenance students, giving them experience with a different aircraft and equipment configuration within the university fleet.
• Rzeszów University’s practical pilot-training pathway extends to ATP(A) level and uses both single- and multi-engine aircraft together with FNPT II devices.
• The aircraft is the first Archer III operated by OKL and is intended to renew part of the fleet used for advanced training while expanding the center’s IFR capacity.

Source: Rzeszów University of Technology