Tayside Aviation has taken delivery of two Aquila 211 aircraft. Welcomed in by the airport fire service, the new aircraft were flown from Berlin to Dundee in Scotland with one stop in the Netherlands on route.

Built in Germany, near Berlin, the Aquila will replace Tayside Aviation’s Grob 115 fleet. Tayside Aviation has ordered a total of seven Aquilas which will complete by August 2016. These aircraft will operate predominantly on the RAF flying Scholarships training provided by Tayside Aviation. Tayside operates the commercial training and RAF flying scholarships from Dundee Airport and they also operate the flying school at Fife Airport, operating 19 aircraft overall.

Managing Director, Jim Watt said, “We are very pleased with the new aircraft choice. With a 55% reduction in fuel costs, unleaded fuel and a low noise footprint this is a major step forward for us. The German build quality sets it apart from most rivals, which is very important for our schools doing 9,000 hours per year.”

Tayside also have a formal Pilot Placement Programme with Loganair supplying pilots for the SAAB 340, SAAB 2000 and Dornier 328 fleet. Jim added, “The Pilot placement programme works very well and allows us to place well-rounded and experienced pilots to Loganair who need a high degree of handling skills that are gained flying from Dundee.”