New Aircraft, Sims Arrive In Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Aviation Flight Academy (SAFA), has taken delivery of
its first two training aircraft from Diamond Aircraft Industries.
The two DA40 NG trainers arrived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on
11 October.
(L-R) Christian Dries, Khaled Alghamd
These trainers are the first batch of a total of 20 training
aircraft and 12 Technically Advanced Flight Training Devices (aka
simulators) that Al-Thumamah Airport-based SAFA has agreed to
purchase and will form the foundation for SAFA’s advanced
approach to pilot training. The equipment will play a key role in
supporting SAFA’s objective to develop pilots who not only
possess superior “stick and rudder” skills, but are
immersed in a strong safety culture as well. The state-of-the-art
curriculum has been developed using international experts with the
ultimate goal of supporting the growth of aviation in the
Kingdom.
The Flight Academy is a joint venture between the Saudi Aviation
Club (SAC),whose Chairman is HRH Prince Sultan bin Salman bin
AbdulAziz, and SAFA, chaired by HRH Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al
Faisal.
“The engines have been started and we are now preparing
for the take-off of our project, which will produce locally
trained, high-quality Saudi pilots for the the Kingdom’s
aviation sector”, commented Captain William Roe, Managing
Director of SAFA. Captain Roe also elaborated that “Each
air-conditioned aircraft will feature GPS tracking units to
precisely follow the fleet in real time to add additional safety.
Also, each aircraft will be equipped with video/audio recording
equipment, which enables students to learn to fly more efficiently
while reducing training costs, and ultimately develop their
aeronautical decision making skills as quickly as possible. This
re
Photo Courtesy Diamond Aircraft
duces the occurrence of human errors, which plays the primary
role in aviation accidents globally.”
“One of the pillars which define the relationship between
SAC and SAFA is our combined belief that safety is paramount. We
also move forward in the firm belief that discipline is one of the
most important characteristics of a superior pilot”, said
Abdullah al-Jawini, Executive Director of SAC.
SAFA will receive another twelve DA40 NG single-engine trainers
over the coming five years. The school is also expecting to receive
another six training aircraft, the DA42 NG, which is arguably the
most technologically advanced multi-engine training aircraft
available in the market today. SAFA will start taking delivery of
the DA42 NG aircraft in May 2011.
By the end of 2015, SAFA will boast a total fleet of fourteen
DA40 NGs, six DA42 NGs, and 12 Technologically Advanced Flight
Training Devices.