Aircraft sales, services and support company Hawker Pacific (Booth H65) has announced an agreement with Flight Training Adelaide for the sale of up to 26 Diamond DA40 CS single-engine composite aircraft. In addition to serving as a vendor for Hawker Beechcraft and Bell Helicopter products, Hawker Pacific is the Austrian airframer’s appointed distributor for Australia and New Zealand.

Flight Training Adelaide is to receive the first four of its order for eight of the Garmin G1000 glass-cockpit-equipped four-seaters by the middle of the year, with the remainder to follow by year-end. The company has options for an additional 18 scheduled for possible delivery over the following two years. The entry-level aircraft will be powered by Lycoming IO-360-M1A engines.

According to Pine Pienaar, CEO of the Adelaide-based training provider which aims to develop future airline and helicopter captains, the aircraft, chosen for its overall performance and lifetime running costs won the contract after a head-to-head flyoff conducted late last year between short-listed aircraft. The new DA40 CS group will join the company’s 42-aircraft fleet, which already includes seven twin-engine DA42 L360 airplanes.

Diamond Aircraft Industries president Peter Maurer said Hawker Pacific, which also operates a network of FBOs as well as providing aircraft charter and MRO facilities in the Asia Pacific region, was integral to his company’s successful bid.