Diamond Launches Flight Centers

Diamond Aircraft launched its long-awaited Diamond Flight Center (DFC) program this week the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland, Fla. "We have heard for some time that flight schools wanted a fresh alternative to the status quo," said Diamond Aircraft Industries President Peter Maurer. "There were several key elements we wanted to have in place before launching the program, and we are delighted that today is the day that we can confidently say we have a very comprehensive and competitive program." The Diamond Flight Center program includes all the elements of current pilot centers, as well as additional enhancements. Interestingly, the DFCs are allowed to operate competitive-brand airplanes, even though Diamond offers a full line of ai rplanes, including the two-place DA20, DA40 series, DA50 Super Star DA42 Twin Star and D-JET. Jeppesen has also developed online Diamond-specific flight training materials for the DFCs.

Acording to Diamond, the response to initial advertisements has exceeded their expectations. "We are presently distributing program details to over 140 applicants. We expect the program to be a huge success and anticipate establishing over 200 DFCs in the USA over the next four to five years."