Cirrus Flight Training has placed an order for two Embraer Phenom 100 jets, making it the first flight school in Germany to offer jet ratings for ATPL students using the type.

The provisional date for delivery is 2010. “It is a great step forward for the school,” says managing director Bernt Baltes. “This will help us to further improve the quality of training and make us even more attractive to potential students. The Phenom 100 makes an impression with its dynamics, function and elegance. The high-speed very light jet is very convincing with a non-stop cruising range of 2,148 km and a maximum speed of 704 km/h, flying at an altitude of 12,497 m and providing four passengers with plenty of comfort and masses of room.”

Baltes sees great advantages in the highly sophisticated cockpit. “The jet can be flown by only one pilot and thanks to the large LCD displays it provides an optimum in orientation so that students experience success within a short time."

Gerd Brandecker, who was a founding partner in the flight school in 1989, believes that the Phenom will also find a place in the Cirrus Aviation and DCA charter fleets. “When it comes to business aviation too we are able to guarantee our trainee pilots an ideal introduction to this sector with this model, and this is also of great interest to our own executive businesses,” he says.

Cirrus Flight Training has its headquarters in Zweibrücken and provides training up to ATPL as well as courses for flight dispatchers. There are currently 80 students undergoing pilot training, using ten aircraft and a flight simulator. In total the Cirrus group employs over 1,400 staff and operates more than 75 aircraft.