The Finnish Aviation Academy has taken delivery of the first of two Phenom 100s from Embraer to be used in the school's ab initio pilot training programme, the first flight training school to use the twin-engined light jet. A second Phenom 100 is to be delivered in November.

The academy hired Nashville-based JetQuik to assist in the delivery of the aircraft from Embraer's São José dos Compos headquarters in September. JetQuik has previously delivered five aircraft to Europe and 12 to the USA.

The Phenoms will replace Beechcraft King Air 300 turboprops the school uses for its ab initio training for Finland's flag carrier, Finnair.

The school is also purchasing two Phenom 100 fixed-based flight training devices and an avionics trainer from Frasca International for the programme, with the first device set for delivery later this year. "We would have preferred a full-flight simulator as we have on the King Air, but it was cost prohibitive for the data," says an official with the flight school, referring to Embraer's charges for the dynamic modelling data required for the simulator. "We don't need the data for the fixed-base simulator," he says.

Source: Flight International