Sales, Service, Rental And Training Under One Roof

ANN was privileged to be present as Diamond Aircraft set the flight training standard higher than ever with the opening of its first Diamond Brilliance Flight Center, in Naples, FL.

Diamond Brilliance operators are designated by Diamond Aircraft for their provision of "world-class flight training and aircraft rental services using exclusively Diamond aircraft and flight training devices." The first center will be operated by Europe-American Aviation.

"We are committed to providing our customers with the safest, best-equipped aircraft; superior training; and unparalleled customer service," said Diamond CEO Christian Dries. "We're confident Europe-American Aviation will set the Diamond Brilliance Flight Center apart from the competition."

Europe-American Aviation is an FAA-certified Part 141 school with a large and growing local and international clientele. The flight center's fleet will consist of two DA20-C1 aircraft, seven Garmin G1000-equipped DA40 Diamond Stars, and one turbo-diesel-powered DA42 Twin Star.

A Diamond-manufactured DA42-specific Level 5 flight training device will supplement the new aircraft. Diamond says the simulator is the first installation of its kind in the U.S. It replicates the aircraft in every detail and incorporates a wraparound visual system.

ANN's Jim Campbell was the first to sample the newly dedicated DA-42 FTD, built upon the entire forward section of a DA42 airframe. Campbell reported that, "You literally step into the forward cockpit of an actual DA42 airframe, providing the ultimate in 'look and feel' realism necessary to making sure that the transition from 'simulated' to 'real' is barely discernible. My short 'flight' through Switzerland was intriguing in that the flight dynamics I found in our actual DA42 flight test was mimicked quite accurately in the sim... especially such hard-to-replicate attributes such as the control pressures and responses in yaw and roll with particular accurate replication of the yaw/roll coupling I recall from the flying airplane. The visuals are also quite striking. It's a wholly impressive system and should serve as an excellent training device."

"No other manufacturer has a similar fleet line-up," said Carsten Sturm (pictured below), president and owner of Europe-American Aviation. "We are excited to offer state-of-the-art training from ‘zero' time to commercial/instrument rating."

Europe-American Aviation's affiliate, PrimePlanes Aircraft Services, will maintain the fleet.

In addition to aircraft training and rental, the Diamond Brilliance Flight Center will also serve as a showroom for Diamond products. Premier Aircraft Sales Inc. will handle new aircraft sales from the Naples location.

FMI: www.diamondflightcenter.com, www.diamondaircraft.com, www.eaa-fly.com, www.flypas.com