Three Diamond Aircraft devised have devised a program that may put a brand-new, four-seat aircraft within reach of many pilots who, for now, can only dream of owning a 2013 DA40 XLT (or XLS).

DiamondShares has been quietly working for about five years to refine Diamond dealer John Armstrong’s ownership-membership concept into a turn-key package that eases the burden of buying a $420,000 machine, by sharing ownership costs but not the equity.

“The difference between members and equity is night and day,” Armstrong said
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“Oh Eight Three, Oh Eight Three” I repeated over and over, as a mantra, staring straight at the guy with the mic, “Oh Eight Three, Oh – Eight – Three.”

“And now, the drawing for the airplane ride,” the speaker crackled across the ramp, “The winning ticket number is “Oh Eight Three, Oh – Eight – Three.”

At a single bound, I was up from my chair and in one leap crossed the tarmac and held the ticket out, half expecting I had misread the number.

“That’s it!” the announcer confirmed, “And you’ve got your choice, the Diamond DA-40 or the Skyhawk.”

I had seen the new shiny Diamond DA-40 sitting on the ramp, with a constant stream of visitors walking around it, peering inside, marvelling at its sleekness, at the tidy arrangement of the cockpit and cabin, at its smooth lines with ‘aerodynamic’ of the highest magnitude obvious in its appearance.

Even though my previously owned airplane was a Cessna 172, and that all my rentals at South Ramp had been their fleet of 172s, I was ready for something new.

“The Diamond,” I said, and went right over again, this time to take a careful look at what lay in store. Read the rest of this entry »

Following the inaugural meeting of the Diamond Flight Center Development Council, John Armstrong, President of Dominion Aircraft Sales, announced the expansion of the Diamond Flight Center (DFC) network in the eastern part of the United States.  Dominion is the Diamond Regional Distribution Center serving that area.

Flight training schools from Kentucky, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia came together to form a special new peer group council focused on flight center development and success. They discussed best practices for flight training, launched new programs including DiamondShare and Lease & Learn, explored modern training tools, exchanged information about business operations and recognized outstanding achievements in flight center development.

“As part of our strategic plan for Diamond to continue to lead the way in modern flight training we are executing our aggressive program of expansion of the Diamond Flight Center network. Our select flight training partners are organizations who are committed to providing their customers with a high-quality learning experience in the safest, easiest to fly aircraft in the market,” says Armstrong. “Providing flight training in Diamond aircraft represents a significant profit potential for the flight centers because Diamonds have the best fuel economy and total cost of ownership among training aircraft today. Also, since the Diamond line includes a full range of aircraft from the DA20 primary trainer to the high-tech turbo diesel DA42 twin, it’s easy for customers to transition to more complex aircraft, and enjoy a seamless training experience to whatever level they aspire.”

Brant Howell of SML Aviation in Roanoke, Virginia and Danny Kane of Kane Aviation in Salem, Virginia were awarded the Top 2012 Achievement Award. In less than one year working as a team they converted from several old airplanes to a full Diamond fleet, including two DA20s (one is G500), a DA40 G1000 and the recent addition of a DA42. “Coupled with their advanced motion flight simulators and top-notch CFIs, these Diamond Flight Centers are providing the very best results and learning experience in flight training today,” says Armstrong.

“We decided it was time for us to move into the 21^st century with modern aviation technology for training aircraft, methods and tools. It was a scary decision for us to change our entire fleet of training aircraft, but it’s proven to be the best decision we ever made! The customers love the planes, business is booming and we have been growing beyond our expectations,” said Brant Howell, owner of SML Aviation and recipient of the 2012 Top Achievement Award.

Susan Naylor Adams and Christian Goss of Cargill Aeronautical Academy were also recognized with a 2012 Achievement Award for their work and dedication developing as a Diamond Flight Center last year. “The DA20 is a great trainer,” says Adams, President and CEO of Cargill, which is located in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania.  “It generated a tremendous amount of excitement among our students.  It’s safe, sleek, easy to fly and has all the latest glass panel technology,” she added.  “With our logo on the side, it attracts attention wherever students fly.  The proof of its popularity as a trainer is that even in the months that are traditionally slow for flight training, rental hours are close to last summer, when utilization was at its peak.”

Ann and Kevin Rychlik and their entire team at American Aviation at Manassas Airport also received a 2012 Achievement Award for their success developing as a Diamond Flight Training Center.  They started with no fixed wing aircraft only a few years ago, and now have an impressive fleet of Diamond Aircraft and a professional staff to serve the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Diamond Flight Centers and aspiring centers in the Diamond Flight Center Development Program are an exclusive group of schools committed to providing high-quality flight training using Diamond aircraft and flight training methods. DFCs meet demanding standards and have access to advanced online training tools to make the experience of learning to fly efficient and effective.

“With our new DFC development process we are able to help flight training operations that have not previously used Diamonds to get started. The program focuses first on helping schools set their goals, and then supports the execution of their transformation plan,” says Armstrong. “It’s working very well and the schools are excited about their transformation and growth.”

Flight centers and their representatives that  participated in this first DFC Development Council event included: Alpha-One Air Service of Salisbury NC, Randy Fleming; American Aviation of Massasas VA, Ann Rychlik; Best In Flight of Linden NJ, Robert Hadow; Cargill Aeronautical Academy of New Cumberland PA, Susan Naylor Adams; Don Davis Aviation of Henderson KY, Jon Becker;  Dillon’s Aviation of Greenville NC, Stuart Dillon;  Epix Aviation of Chesapeake VA, Jim Parkman; FlyGerry LLC of Caldwell NJ, Gerry Kaplan; Image Aviation of Oxford CT, Kyle Colasanto; Kane Aviation of Salem VA, Danny Kane, SML Aviation of Roanoke VA, Brant Howell. Also attending were Earle Boyter representing Premier Aircraft Sales and Glenn Lawler representing Diamond Aircraft.

Dominion Aircraft Sales is the Diamond Regional Distribution Center for New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky. Dominion works in concert with Premier Aircraft Sales, the DRDC in the Southeast, to offer extensive services, pooled inventory for new and used aircraft and support services for a growing network of Diamond Flight Centers for the entire east coast.

We are delighted to bring you this great promotion for the purchase of our favorite headset, the LightSpeed Zulu.2. These premium noise canceling headsets are simply the best available AND the best value for money. Don’t miss this special offer.

The unit offered includes Bluetooth connection so you can make or take calls, listen to your voicemail and music. The new FlightLink cockpit recorder app is very cool.

Check out the choices of amazing gifts that can be yours with the purchase of a Zulu.2. The gifts are valued at up to $350 for Free!  The price is $900 for each and we provide personalized order processing and followup for you. Order by email by simply sending your quantity request and shipping details along with your phone number to sales@flydominion.com. Our customers pay no shipping.   Treat yourself or someone you care for with one of these great headsets this Christmas but hurry because this is a limited time offer and supplies are limited.

Our friend and collegue Michael Fabianac moved to California in early 2012 to head up the sale of Diamonds there. The folks at Plane & Pilot visited and flew with Mike shortly after he arrived and published this article about the Diamond DA40 XLS.

We thought you’d enjoy reading more about what they have to say about this unique aircraft.

One of the Finest Dakotas You’ll Find

1983 Piper Dakota For Sale

Is your mission to travel with four full size adults and all their luggage? Look no further as you have found your solution! This 1983 Piper Dakota has 1188 lbs of useful load and will scoot you along at 144 kts on 12.5 gallons per hour!  You’ll be to the beach or mountain get away in no time. Use this plane to expand your business. Its practical and ultra affordable! There is no reason to wait…the flying season is here and you can be in your own aircraft in the air now!

This top condition aircraft is hangared and pampered by the owner. He upgraded the panel to be what every pilot would want with the Garmin 530 Nav/Com/GPS unit with WAAS for easy cross country flying and effortless approaches. He did not stop there but included in the upgrade Traffic, Terrain and XM satellite weather system. Add the Guardian CO2 monitor, Digital Engine monitoring, digital fuel flow and digital clock, thermometer, voltmeter and more and you have the ideal traveling aircraft. This is only a partial list of the features of this great aircraft.

The aircraft is located in Kentucky and is available for demonstration flights there or at your door. Financing and Insurance available with purchase along with delivery, training, check out, and more. Trade-In’s welcomed.

N4295T 1983 Piper Dakota Specs

Aircraft Technical Logs -

CALL TODAY to discuss pricing and how you can make an offer on this aircraft.

Submit a Question about this aircraft or Make an Offer…

See All Our Inventory! Over 30 more: Diamond, Mooney, Cirrus, Piper, Beech, Cessna and More!

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AvWeb editor Paul Bertorelli provides interesting analysis and commentary on the Diamond DA40 aircraft in this posting on the AvWeb news site.

Diamond Aircraft of London Ontario Canada is hosting a unique factory fly-in event entitled DiamondFest in October 2011.

The factory is inviting owners and those serioualy interested in their advanced modern line of general aviation aircraft to fly-in for a packed agenda of informative briefings and educational seminars along with factory tours and fun flying and ground excursions.

All Diamond owners are invited and should attend. Also, anyone that is interested in evaluating and potentially purchasing a Diamond aircraft are encouraged to call John Armstrong for details and a personal invitation.

There will be factory operated demonstration flights in the company’s planes and the Diamond D-Jet will be displayed and conduct fly-by demonstrations.

“This is the ideal way for someone interested in a Diamond Aircraft to get an up close and personal view of the aircraft, the factory and meet all of the great people involved that make Diamond so special.” states John Armstrong, Managing Director of Dominion Aircraft Sales. “This is an event that no owner or prospective owner should miss!”

Contact John Armstrong at 406-FLY-1NOW = 406-359-1669 for further details TODAY!