Market Intelligence: -Training Aircraft Developments

US Aviation University Flight School Department, Embry-Riddle, to Fly Tecnam Aircraft at Upcoming Flight Competition

Chosen due to its wide variance of flight capabilities — including speeds, visibility, advanced avionics and innovative interior design, along with the low operating cost — the Tecnam P-92 MkII will be piloted by the Eagles Flight Team, representing Embry‑Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus. The Eagles Flight Team competes at the annual National Intercollegiate Flying Association’s (NIFA) National and Regional Safety and Flight Evaluation Conferences (SAFECON).

The aircraft will be used within the competition to perform message drops, navigation, power-off landings, short-field landings and numerous other competitive events. The Eagles Flight Team boasts a long record of success in Region IX flight competition.

According to Ken Byrnes, Embry-Riddle’s assistant dean and Flight chair, “Our selection of the Tecnam P-92 at Embry-Riddle reflects a step change in the continuation of providing safe, reliable and cost-efficient platforms for our Eagle’s Flight Team to remain competitive in the future.”

“The P92 is a stable, solid and cost-effective platform that has proven to be the go-to aircraft for flight school programs around the world,” added David Copeland, director of sales at Tecnam US. “We are excited to see the Eagles Flight Team piloting Tecnam’s into the future.”

The P92’s short-field performance, excellent climb characteristics and efficiency are now teamed with the MkII’s composite fuselage, granting improved cruise performances. The cabin volume has also been increased, allowing for wider seats, additional fore and aft adjustment and improved ergonomics. Advanced Garmin G3X touch avionics are available with synthetic view and ground proximity warning, providing additional navigation and situational awareness.

Tradition, innovation and vision. These factors are spearheading Tecnam to wider horizons. Based on recent data and industry benchmarks, Tecnam is offering the greenest training fleet in the world. Flight schools operating Tecnam’s single- and twin-engine fleet can save as much as 10 tonnes of CO2 emissions for every single student graduating with a Commercial Pilot License – a 60% reduction compared to fleet using 100LL fuel on a journey of 155 flight hours, 30h of which on twin.

About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Reporters worldwide contact Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for content experts in all aspects of aviation, aviation business, aerospace, engineering and STEM-related fields. Our faculty experts specialize in unmanned and autonomous systems, security and intelligence, air traffic and airport management, astronomy, human factors psychology, meteorology, spaceflight operations, urban air mobility and much more.

Embry-Riddle educates 31,300+ students at its residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona, at approximately 110 Worldwide Campus locations and through online degree programs. In 2023, U.S. News & World Report named Embry-Riddle Worldwide the nation’s No. 2 provider of online bachelor’s degree programs. The university has ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in this category every year since 2016. Our residential campuses hold multiple Top 10 rankings. All of our campuses have been ranked Best for Veterans. 

About TECNAM; “Quality Aircraft since 1948”

Tecnam is an Italian aircraft manufacturer and one of the world’s leading piston aircraft manufacturers. Founded in 1948 by brothers Luigi and Giovanni Pascale, the company is headquartered in Capua, Italy, and operates two subsidiaries in Sebring, Florida, USA, and Brisbane, Australia, to serve and support the needs of local Tecnam owners and operators. Tecnam designs and manufactures a wide range of aircraft for personal use, commercial operations, business travel, flight training, surveillance, law enforcement and other specialised applications.

Source: Tecnam
Photo Credit: Tecnam

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Global Pilot Training Group Skyborne Receives Second Piper Aircraft Pilot 100i, 9 More to Come

Training aircraft manufacturer Piper Aircraft delivered a new Pilot 100i to global pilot training group’s Skyborne’s Florida – Vero Beach Campus recently. This delivery signifies the successful acquisition of the second aircraft out of the planned 11 for Skyborne’s growing fleet.

In addition to the Piper Aircraft on order Skyborne expanded their order for electric training aircraft with 40 Bye Aerospace eFlyer on order.

Source: Skyborne
Photo Credit: Skyborne

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Ireland Based Pilot Training Organisation to Convert 15 Single Engine Training Aircraft to Sustainable Aviation Fuel Powered Engines

Cork, Ireland headquartered pilot training organisation Atlantic Flight Training Academy (AFTA), announces the commencement of its transition to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). SAF is an innovative plant-based fuel and can reduce carbon emissions by more than 90%. Through the acquisition of new next generation training aircraft AFTA will ensure an increasing number of its fleet can use SAF.

AFTA trains the next generation of commercial pilots and is the leading English speaking flight school in the EU providing ‘ab inito’ pilot training under European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Regulations. It has a strong partnership with both Munster Technological University and Enterprise Ireland, which is supporting the transition to SAF enabled aircraft.

AFTA’s ambition is to be a global leader in sustainable methods of pilot training for world-leading airlines, and the company has already landed it’s first SAF training aircraft, with plans to convert it’s entire fleet to alternative power plants in the coming years.

This follows on from AFTA’s achievement of being the first EASA approved flight training academy to introduce ‘Sustainability and Environmental Awareness’ in every aspect of a pilot’s training journey.

Speaking at AFTA’s ESG briefing update, Sean Kelly Ireland South MEP and member of the European Parliament Committee for Industry, Research and Energy, commented:

“It is encouraging to see how an Irish-EU based Pilot Education Academy, AFTA, who working with their MTU and airline partners, can strive to lead the global Pilot Training industry in it’s transition to a low-carbon future. Captain Mark Casey and the AFTA team are renowned as being an innovative Aviation Training Academy committed to a low-carbon emissions future and their leadership approach is recognised in Europe, by being the first EASA approved flight training academy to introduce “Sustainability and Environmental awareness” in every aspect of the pilot cadets training.

“I wish the Sustainability team at AFTA continued success in their transition to a low carbon future and further sustainable objectives.”

“I also note the findings of the recent study into the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel in Ireland which demonstrates its significant employment potential, up to 1000 jobs. However, as outlined in the reports (Research and Development) recommendations, it is important that Ireland and the EU continue to fund and support the promotion of SAF technologies leveraging Ireland’s third-level institutions and Government entities such as Enterprise Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland and SEAI.”

Commenting on AFTA’s ambitions for sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint, Captain Mark Casey, AFTA CEO and Head of Training, said:

“We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint significantly in line with government policy by 2030. The introduction of the Diamond DA42 NG has already proven to be a ‘game changer’ for the business. These state of the art modern aircraft are quieter, significantly more fuel efficient and most importantly they can run on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) which results in a 90% reduction in carbon emissions for our fleet. The next priority for AFTA is the conversion of 15 Cessna 172 Skyhawk aircraft to SAF powered engines and today marks the launch of the first converted aircraft with additional aircraft to follow in quick succession. We are committed to achieving the 2030 deadline for a 100% fleet conversion to SAF ahead of schedule and we are in continuous discussions with manufacturers and airframe retrofit component providers to lock in an achievable timeline to conversion.” An acutely focused strategic priority for AFTA is to eliminate our impact on the environment. In an ever changing business environment reducing our environmental impact with SAF will serve to de-risk our business as the airline industry accelerates its transition to alternative fuels.

Devilla Flynn of Enterprise Ireland said, “In a bold stride towards a more sustainable aviation industry, Atlantic Flight Training Academy has set a remarkable example by adopting SAF to reduce their CO2 emissions. This environmentally conscious move is not only changing the way we learn to fly but also shaping the future of the aviation sector, proving that commitment to greener skies is now taking off in the classroom”.

David Crowley, Sustainability Specialist at Cork Airport said:

“Cork Airport is delighted to see this innovation taking place. Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) are a very important part of the aviation industry’s transition to a more sustainable future. Its’s great to see AFTA taking practical steps to demonstrate the viability of this technology on the sustainability journey to net zero.”

Source: Atlantic Flight Training Academy
Photo Credit: Atlantic Flight Training Academy

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Atlantic Flight Training Group Welcomes Training Aircraft Manufacturer Elixir Aircraft to its Training Base in the US

EuroPilot Center, a pilot training organisation headquartered in Belgium, welcomed France based training aircraft manufacturer Elixir Aircraft to Socal Pilot Center, its training location in the Coachella Valley in California, US. Both organizations will explore new horizons together, said EuroPilot Center.

Earlier in January 2024 EuroPilot Center announced the launch of an unprecedented 100.000 EUR for Airline Training Scholarships.

About EuroPilot & SoCal Pilot Center (and the International Pilot Center Alliance – ICPA)

EuroPilot and SoCal Pilot Center, part of the International Pilot Center Alliance (IPCA), are EASA and FAA Approved Training Organizations with Training Locations in Antwerp (Belgium) founded in 2007, and Coachella, California (USA) founded in 2015. Offering a complete series of high-level pilot training courses, ranging from EASA and FAA Private Pilot, Instrument Ratings, Commercial Pilot, APS-MCC, A-UPRT, and All-Inclusive Airline Career Programs. In addition, EASA and FAA Flight Instructor training courses are provided as well.

With an actual graduation/hiring percentage over 96%, EuroPilot & SoCal Pilot Center has been successful in offering alumni with Airline Jobs worldwide. IPCA has currently over 150 students in training, enrolled in different programs and this number is growing fast due to the worldwide Pilot Shortage.

Uniquely, the Campus in California called SoCal Pilot Center is providing both EASA training/Testing/Skill-Tests and FAA Part 141 training on US soil and is 100% owned by EuroPilot Center. The school is staffed with full-time European Flight Instructors and guarantees the highest quality standards in flight training. All facilities, including new student housing, are an integral part of the organization. The US branch is also part of the Textron Aviation, Cessna Pilot Center Network since 2016 and has been approved by CATS/PSI as an FAA Testing Center. SoCal Pilot Center is approved by the USCIS to provide M1 Visa’s to foreign students for Flight Training under the SEVIS program.

Source: EuroPilot Center
Photo Credit: EuroPilot Center

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Belgium-based Flight School Skywings Flight Training Adds New Aircraft To Its Training Fleet

Belgium-based flight school, Skywings Flight Training, is thrilled to announce the newest member of its training fleet, OO-SKE, a Diamond DA40-D acquired at the end of 2023. This addition marks a significant step in the flight school’s transition to an “all-Diamond” fleet. The flight school will deploy this aircraft to its winter base in Spain to have two DA40 operating from Mutxamel.

In addition, Skywings Flight Training is set to expand its fleet even further this year with the addition of four brand-new Diamond Aircraft DA40-NGs. With the inclusion of these four new aircraft, they will have a total fleet of 8 Diamond training aircraft and one Diamond 40/42 simulator.

The flight training group previously shared its 2023 milestones and growth including:

  • Partnership with Lufthansa Group owned flight training organisation European Flight Academy
  • Intake of 30 new students for its Integrated ATPL program
  • Rapid employment of graduates with airlines such as Brussel Airlines (average time between graduation and employment being less than three months)
  • Winter base in Mutxamel, Spain
  • Expansion of campus at Antwerp Airport to grow the number of classrooms and simulators
  • Plans to grow the training infrastructure in 2024 with 4 new Diamond DA40NGS and one Diamond Aircraft DA40/42 simulator

Source: Skywings Flight Training
Photo Credit: Skywings Flight Training

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