A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

Contributor - Business Aviation

James Wynbrandt

Diamond Aircraft announced at MEBAA 2018 a contract for 60 single- and twin-engine trainers from the SNCA-CAE Authorized Training Centre in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The DA40 NG singles and DA42-VI twin-engine aircraft will be delivered over five years, commencing with the first batch of 12 in February.

 


Plans to establish the SNCA-CAE Authorized Training Centre (SNCA-CAE), a collaboration between the Saudi National Company of Aviation (SNCA) and Canadian training provider CAE, were announced at the Dubai Airshow 2017.

 


“We are proud to be SNCA-CAE Authorized Training Centre’s choice of training aircraft for the establishment of their new flight training organization," said Amila Spiegel, sales and marketing director for Diamond (Booth 492). “The commitment of another reputable big flight school to our airplanes and flight training solution proves we are meeting the demands of flight training organizations worldwide.”

 


SNCA-CAE chose the Diamond trainers “because of their well-known reputation of safety and efficiency,” said Anthony Miller, director of global business development at SNCA-CAE.

 


The DA40 NG and DA42-VI represent the newest versions of the Austrian company’s piston aircraft fleet, which combine composite airframes, Garmin G1000 NXi glass panel avionics, and modern jet-fuel (diesel) piston powerplants from Diamond-owned Austro engines.&nbsp;

 


“This purchase agreement is one of the largest in the history of aviation academies in Saudi Arabia and perhaps the Middle East region,” said Miller. “We at SNCA-CAE Authorized Training Centre are determined to provide the aviation industry with the highly qualified male and female pilots that are able to advance within the aviation industry and serve as an integral tool for development in the region.”

 


The training center has already begun operations in its Foundation Year program, with more than 400 students attending. The first class of air cadets is expected to complete the program and graduate in 2020.

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