Utah Valley University’s Aviation Program Receives Nine Diamond Aircraft DA40 XLT Piston Singles In Fleet Upgrade

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The Utah Valley University School of Aviation recently took delivery of nine new DA40 XLT single-engine piston planes from Diamond Aircraft that the school will use for student pilot training. (Photo courtesy of Diamond Aircraft.)

The Utah Valley University School of Aviation Sciences has a relationship with Diamond Aircraft that goes back to 1996, when university student pilots began using DA20 aircraft for training. In mid-July, the two parties announced that UVU has expanded its flight training fleet with nine of Diamond’s four-seat DA40 XLT single-engine piston airplanes bearing UVU’s colors and logo.

Versatility = Efficiency

The school values the DA40 for its ability to complete both a student’s visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR) training, tasks that in some cases can require separate aircraft. This makes “it easier for our maintenance department to control fleet availability,” says Alan Dennis, UVU Aviation Sciences’ chief flight instructor. “It also curbs the learning curve when our students progress from private pilot to instrument training.”

As both Diamond and UVU officials note, the DA40 XLT’s four seats enable students to ride in the back seat and observe other students, which decreases overall training time. “Operating all four-place aircraft allows for student observers to go along on almost any flight, giving them the opportunity to learn by watching another student and instructor without any pressure on them to perform,” says Dan Sutliff, UVU faculty lead for flight training.

Find Your Diamond Aircraft

In addition to DA40, DA42, and DA62 aircraft, Diamond Aircraft is working on the new five-seat, single-engine piston DA50; the manufacturer expects deliveries to begin in Q1 2021. The DA40 XLT, meanwhile, belongs to Diamond’s DA40 Series and relies on a 180-horsepower Lycoming IO360M1A AVGAS engine, Garmin G1000NXi flight deck, two-blade Hartzell metal constant speed propeller, and an all-composite airframe.

You’ll find a wide selection of new and used single-engine piston aircraft for sale every day on Controller.com, including Diamond Aircraft models like DA40s and DA20s.

Source: Diamond Aircraft