Ribbon Cut On 209,000 Square-Foot Facility

An innovative program that will train up to 1,700 Air Force pilot and navigator candidates annually was officially launched this week, with a ribbon cutting ceremony in at Doss Aviation in Pueblo, CO.

Mike Occhiato, president of Pueblo city council, Frank Hunter, President/CEO of Doss Aviation, and Maj. Gen. Irv Halter of the United States Air Force attended the ceremony.

The 209,000 square-foot facility is located on 44 acres adjacent to Pueblo Memorial Airport. Doss Aviation, who was awarded the IFS contract, will utilize 44 Diamond DA20-C1 and one Diamond DA40 aircraft. Following completion of the 40 day screening program, which includes approximately 40 hours of flying, the students will go to undergraduate flight training.

"We chose Diamond aircraft for the program, because they best met the USAF technical specification. They combine excellent high density altitude performance and low operating, insurance and acquisition costs. There simply is no other proven cost-competitive aircraft on the market," said Hunter.

The Diamond DA20 is also used at the United States Air Force Academy, for their AFS (Academy Flight Screening) program.

FMI: www.dossaviation.com, www.diamondaircraft.com