Economic jitters and rising fuel costs have had an impact on piston aircraft sales, and this week Diamond Aircraft came up with a way to try to fight back — the company is offering a year’s worth of free fuel, plus free maintenance, insurance, and training for buyers of a new DA40 XLS. “We are very excited about this offer,” said Fred Ahles, president of Premier Aircraft Sales, the Diamond distributor in Florida. “The DA40 XLS has always been a very economical plane to operate — typically costing less than $1,000 per month — and with this special offer, there are few costs beyond the monthly payments for the entire first year of ownership.” The company says it hopes the offer will appeal to “the fiscally responsible left-brain pilot.”
The offer is not without limits — the free maintenance includes all scheduled maintenance for one year or 250 hours, whichever comes first – a $2,750 value; insurance up to $3,500; fuel for 100 hours of flying at $5 per gallon, or $5,000; and a $2,000 training credit at any Diamond Flight Center, for transition training or toward any rating. The offer expires July 31, and is limited to inventory on hand at Diamond distributors. And Diamond is not the only manufacturer offering enticements to buyers. Tuesday, US Aviation Group, in Denton, Texas, said it will supply free Sport Pilot instruction for anyone who buys a new light sport aircraft from its inventory. They have 10 airplanes in their showroom to choose from. US Aviation sells REMOS, Breezer, Tecnam Sierra and Bravo, and Skylark LSAs.
