It’s a bird. It’s a plane. Oh wait, it is a plane.

Students who make the regular trek over to McDonnell Douglas Hall may not believe their eyes upon first glance.

One of Saint Louis University’s newest lawn ornaments is more than just a bronze statue from the Middle Ages.

It is in fact a former flight plane just retired from use for student training that now sits in front of the Parks College building.

The plane was retired due to an upgrade in the flight program, according to Alan J. Stolzer, associate dean for aviation.

Five planes, two single-engine Cessna 310s and three multi-engine Moony 201s are in the process of being retired.

They had been in use since the late 1980s. “We’d gotten 10 or 12 good years out of them,” Stolzer said.

During the upgrade, the aviation department bought five new multi-engine planes, titled Piper Seminoles.

“Overall, that’s an upgrade for the pilot program,” Stolzer continued.

When McDonnell Douglas Hall was originally dedicated, in the fall of 1997, a Tampico, multi-engine plane sat in front of the building.

University President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., liked the placement of that plane, according to Stolzer. It was when this plane caught his eye that the idea was resurrected.

The current plane is a Cessna 310, mid-1970s model, Stolzer said. SLU bought it used in 1980 for multi-engine training for students in the flight program.

“This is the last plane that students would fly for their multi-engine ratings,” Stolzer continued.

After a new paint job, the plane was put into place in early August.

The plane is currently sitting on tires on concrete piers.

“We’ll be making brackets, so that the tires won’t deteriorate,” he said.

Facilities will put a plaque near the plane soon to give a better description to passer-bys of the oddly parked airplane.

As for the newly purchased planes, Stolzer said that they are now in service. “New students moving into that area of the flying programs will be using the new equipment,” he said.

“Our students will be flying nice, new airplanes,” Stolzer said, pleased.

Only one of the retired planes is still in use. “We’ll use it until this December, then we’ll be selling it,” he said.

What was formerly used for flying is now “one of the University’s largest lawn ornaments,” Stolzer said with a chuckle.