The aircraft they are producing is aimed squarely at the flight training school market where it has been an immediate hit. The Katana has already won the prestigious Eagle Award from the U.S. magazine Flying as North America's light aircraft of the year. Even more to the point, the Katana's customers have responded enthusias-tically to the aircraft's blend of operational muscle, economy and simplicity of operation. Climbing at 730 feet per minute and cruising at 119 knots over a 523-mile range, the Katana burns about 3.5 gallons of gasoline per hour. Instructors fight over it.
Pilots gripe when it's gone.
And I save money operating it. Diamond's sparkling future Diamond's future plans include the production of a new four-seat aircraft, in addition to the Katana, to start in London in late 1995. Diamond will market the system through an international network of training centres, the first of which will be established in North Bay, Ontario, early in 1996. We expect to reach break-even by the end of this year and to be profitable in 1996. The key ingredients in that confidence are customer acceptance of the Katana, strong market demand and the performance of Canadian workers.