On December 9, 2004 Airline Transport Professionals Inc, (ATP) took delivery of the first of sixteen DA40-180 Diamond Stars, equipped with the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit. The Diamond Stars will be used exclusively in ATP’s new Direct Track extension of their Airline Career Pilot Program. These aircraft reflect ATP’s ongoing commitment to train the best-prepared first officer candidates for the competitive regional airline job market.

All 16 of the Diamond DA40s will be equipped with Garmin’s G1000 integrated avionics system that integrates all primary flight, navigation, communication, terrain, traffic, and Engine Instrumentation and Crew Alerting System (EICAS) data on two 10.4-inch, high definition LCDs. Direct Track students will benefit from up to 320 hours of glass-cockpit DA40 flight time, preparing them for First Officer positions with Regional Airlines that fly glass cockpit regional jets. “Not only will the G1000-equipped DA40s better prepare pilots for the transition to glass cockpit jets, but most importantly they will improve safety with the Terrain Awareness and Warning System,” said Jim Koziarski, ATP’s Vice President of Flight Operations.

Direct Track adds 320 hours of EFIS cross-country experience and 40 hours of CRJ-200 FTD experience to the Airline Career Pilot Program’s 140 hours of nationwide multi-engine cross-country experience and actual Citation jet IOE. By gaining valuable glass cockpit experience, ATP graduates will have a decided advantage during the transition from reciprocating aircraft to state-of-the-art Regional Jets. Direct Track will be offered initially in Jacksonville, Florida, and Dallas, Texas, with additional locations planned as the DA40 fleet grows.

The Diamond DA40 with Garmin G1000 represents the mainstay of Diamond’s comprehensive training fleet, that also includes the 2 place DA20 and the G1000 equipped DA42 TwinStar. Diamond offers the most complete fleet of modern training aircraft, with the most choices of conventional and glass cockpit instrumentation.

For more information on Airline Transport Professionals, visit www.ALLATPS.com or call 800-ALL-ATPS