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For Colleges & Independent Flight Schools
Premier Advantage Flight School Leasing Program
Financing modern training aircraft.
A dynamic fleet acquisition and management program that lets colleges and independent flight schools update their training fleet with new Diamond aircraft and flight-training devices at fixed monthly costs comparable to financing a pre-owned trainer.
Financing modern training aircraft
Today's flight students want to train in the newest, most modern aircraft. Many active flight training programs face growth limitations because financing institutions apply standards built for private ownership, not high-utilization training operations. The Premier Advantage Flight School Leasing Program brings decades of combined experience selling, operating, and financing training aircraft to a single program built for fleet operators.
Premier Aircraft has been an authorized Diamond dealer since 2002, with sales of more than 1,000 new and pre-owned Diamond aircraft — the longest-standing and most-trusted Diamond dealer in the United States. The Premier Advantage Leasing Program custom-tailors finance solutions and ongoing operational support so flight schools can grow on a modern, dispatch-reliable fleet.
Program benefits
- Zero or low down payment
- Preserve operating capital with financing options that don't require a large upfront outlay.
- Fast qualification
- Streamlined approval built for flight-school economics, not standards designed for private ownership.
- Sale-leaseback options
- Unlock the equity already sitting in your current fleet to help fund new aircraft acquisitions.
- Turnkey fleet upgrades
- A single program to acquire, finance, and manage new Diamond aircraft — customized for universities and independent flight schools alike.
- Build equity through new aircraft
- Modern Diamond airframes hold value far better than aging fleets. Lease structure converts hours flown into equity rather than maintenance write-offs.
- Industry pricing analysis
- We optimize your hourly rates using decades of operational data so each airframe contributes to fleet profit, not subsidizes it.
- Long-term competitive advantage
- Today's flight students want to train in modern aircraft. A modern fleet helps attract and retain students and instructors.
- Fixed monthly cost
- Predictable monthly leasing cost — comparable to financing a pre-owned trainer — with the reliability and dispatch of brand-new airframes.
Ongoing operational support
The program doesn't stop at the lease signature. Premier stays involved to keep your fleet flying and your training schedule intact.
- Factory-trained support
- Technical and operational support from Diamond factory-trained experts, on call for your fleet.
- Deep parts inventory
- An extensive spare-parts inventory dedicated to keeping Diamond fleets on the flight line.
- Overnight shipping
- Guaranteed overnight shipping on in-stock parts, so an AOG airplane doesn't stay grounded long.
- Extended warranties
- Optional extended airframe and avionics warranties available to further protect your budget.
Diamond fleet for training
Premier helps select the right Diamond airframes and training devices to match each phase of your program, from primary single-engine through multi-engine and simulator-supported instrument training.
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Primary trainer
Diamond DA20-C1
- Continental engine
- Panoramic canopy with excellent visibility
- Lowest acquisition and operating cost in its class
- Utility-category certified; spin certified (C1)
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Cross-country & instrument trainer
Diamond DA40 NG / XLT
- Austro jet-fuel diesel (NG) or Lycoming AVGAS (XLT)
- Panoramic canopy with Garmin G1000 NXi glass panel
- About 6.5 hrs endurance (pilot + 2 pax, full fuel, NG)
- Optional air conditioning and rough-field landing gear
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Multi-engine trainer
Diamond DA42-VI
- Twin Austro jet-fuel turbo-diesel engines
- Panoramic canopy, single-lever EECU control
- About 6 hrs endurance (pilot + 2 pax, full fuel)
- Optional oxygen, FIKI de-ice, and air conditioning
- Cockpit commonality with the DA40 series
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Ground-based training device
Diamond Flight Simulators (Level 5 FNPT)
- Built from genuine Diamond aircraft parts and real avionics
- Flight-dynamics model validated against Diamond flight-test data
- The only FTD for the DA40/DA42 fleet built on Diamond's approved data package
- Reinforces procedures on the ground at a fraction of the hourly cost
Sample lease rates and terms
Every situation differs based on aircraft quantity, expected utilization, and credit qualification — but here's a sample of approximate monthly rates on a 5-year term to give you a starting point. Rates shown are subject to change; other terms are available.
| Aircraft / device | List price | 100% financing | 95% financing |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Diamond DA20-C1 | $425,000 | $6,000/mo | $5,500/mo |
| New Diamond DA40 (Austro or Lyc) | $700,000 | $9,975/mo | $9,143/mo |
| New Diamond DA42-VI | $1,200,000 | $17,000/mo | $15,674/mo |
| New Diamond FTD | $500,000 | $7,125/mo | $6,537/mo |
Leases are structured "triple net" with a flat monthly rate that isn't tied to flight hours — fly as many hours as your schedule allows at one predictable rate. Flight schools cover fuel, insurance, maintenance, and overhauls. Leasing an already-owned fleet can also unlock equity to help fund new acquisitions.
At the end of the term, choose to purchase the aircraft at fair market value, renew the lease, or return it for a new aircraft on a new lease.
Contact our fleet team for a worked example based on your projected hours and aircraft mix.
Got questions?
Schedule a discovery flight in a brand-new DA40 NG or talk to our fleet team about a tailored leasing structure for your school — call to arrange a fleet evaluation or a lease-versus-buy analysis for your training operation.
"We won't sell an airplane we wouldn't own ourselves."