The aircraft fleet

Key to choosing the right school

Publicado por Rosa M. Márquez el 25 March, 2026

Última actualización: 6 April, 2026

One of the keys to choosing a flight school is their fleet of aircraft. It seems obvious, doesn’t it? But do you really know what to look for?

When choosing where to study, you’ll encounter a host of new concepts regarding the aircraft fleet. Between avionics, engine types, registrations, performance specifications, and logbooks, it’s perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed.

For this reason, in this post, we are providing the key insights you will need to make the best possible decision. Ready to learn how to identify a first-class fleet? Read on.

1. Number of aircraft in the fleet and their registration

The number of aeroplanes that make up the fleet is most important, the more aircraft the school has, the more flight slots they can offer.

So, when a school tells you its fleet size, ask for the aircraft registrations (or ‘tail numbers’). A reputable school will have no problem providing them. This way, you can easily verify if the advertised number matches reality.

At One Air, for example, we believe transparency is essential. That’s why you can see our complete, verified fleet at this link.

2. Aircraft manufacturers and models

A fleet’s configuration is a fundamental pillar of an flight training centre‘s philosophy.

It’s not simply about accumulating aircraft; it’s about meticulously selecting each manufacturer and model for a specific training purpose. The differences between them are critical for comprehensive, well-rounded training.

In our case, this selection has always centred on the manufacturers we consider the most innovative and prestigious in general aviation: Diamond Aircraft, Cirrus Aircraft and Tecnam Aircraft.

All three are global benchmarks in modern pilot training. Diamond is renowned for its reliability, efficiency, and advanced technology; Cirrus, for offering an unparalleled level of performance and safety, including its revolutionary Ballistic Recovery System (BRS); and Tecnam, for its exceptional operational versatility, cutting-edge design and seamless integration of the most advanced Glass Cockpit avionics.

We believe that a pilot must develop their versatility; that is why our fleet is specifically designed to ensure that our future pilots are trained on the best aircraft in each category.

After all, if you can train on the very best and most comprehensive equipment, why settle for anything less?

3. Types of aircraft in the fleet

As we explained, a modern fleet requires variety to cover each phase of your training. You don’t use the same aircraft for your first flight as you do for advanced instrument training, do you?

Our fleet is designed to offer a logical progression, covering every stage of your training with single-engine, advanced single-engine, and new-generation multi-engine aircraft.

For the Initial Phase (Ab-initio)

✓ Diamond DA20 C1: The quintessential training aircraft. It’s light, aerodynamic, and ultra-reliable. We operate the most powerful C1 engine versions, ensuring optimal performance and a wide safety range from your very first take-off.

✓ Tecnam P2008 JC MKII Premium Edition: By incorporating this high-wing aircraft into our initial phase, our students experience two different aerodynamic philosophies from day one: the low-wing Diamond and the high-wing Tecnam. We were the first school in Spain to acquire these, naturally in their Premium version, with luxury interiors and the latest digital avionics.

✓ Tecnam P2008 JC NG: The first four units of Tecnam’s new aircraft worldwide. Featuring a new Rotax 912 iSc fuel-injected engine and a hybrid (carbon/metal) construction with CS-23 certification, the P2008 JC NG represents the latest technology on the market.

For the Instrument Rating (IFR) Phase

✓ Diamond DA40: The natural step up to advanced and cross-country flight. A four-seat, single-engine aircraft with a variable-pitch propeller, you’ll fly the most powerful versions. Its G1000 Glass Cockpit avionics is the perfect tool and the global standard for instrument training.

✓ Cirrus SR20: The global benchmark for safety and luxury. This advanced single-engine aircraft, with its powerful Continental IO-360 piston engine, is the only one in its class equipped with the Ballistic Recovery System (BRS). Training in a Cirrus provides a layer of passive safety that simply doesn’t exist in other aircraft.

For the Multi-Engine Piston (MEP) Phase

✓ Diamond DA42 NG G1000: This new-generation, carbon-fibre twin is incredibly powerful, robust, and reliable. Its engines are fed by JET-A1 fuel. The benefit for you? You’ll be learning with the same fuel management procedures as a commercial airliner like an Airbus A320 or Boeing 737, preparing you for the real-world airline environment.

✓ Tecnam P2006T MKII Premium Edition: This powerful high-wing twin brings the advantage of exceptional visibility and high-wing aerodynamics to multi-engine training. It is, of course, the Premium version, featuring the most advanced avionics (Garmin G1000 Nxi) and luxury interior finishes.

✓ The Tecnam P2006T NG, featuring the Garmin G1000 NXi and over 300 enhancements, is the crowning glory of a high-performance, sustainable and technologically advanced fleet that provides the perfect preparation for the cockpit of a modern commercial aircraft.

✓ Diamond DA62 G1000 Nxi: The most advanced piston twin on the planet, and we are the first ATO in Europe to incorporate it into our training programme. The DA62 is the pinnacle of technology: its carbon-fibre fuselage, luxurious interior, and twin 180hp Austro engines running on Jet-A1 are game-changing. For the student, its greatest advantage is the EECU (Electronic Engine Control Unit), which manages engine power automatically, freeing up your attention to focus on the flight. It is the closest experience you can get to operating a modern airline turboprop or jet.

As you can see, every aircraft in our fleet has been strategically selected. It isn’t about having just one type; it’s about having the most advanced, safest, and most suitable aircraft for each specific phase of your training, from your first flight to your multi-engine rating.

4. Navigation systems and avionics

Finally, to conclude our tips for identifying the best aircraft fleet to become a pilot let’s talk about avionics.

The absolute standard in airlines today is the Glass Cockpit, where digital screens have replaced most of the traditional indicators.

However, at One Air, we believe an elite pilot must be a complete pilot. That’s why our training methodology is unique and follows a deliberate progression.

Some of our initial DA20 aircraft incorporate analogue instrumentation (traditional ‘steam gauges’).

This is a purely pedagogical decision: a pilot who learns to fly by understanding the pure fundamentals of the aircraft is a safer, more resourceful pilot with a greater capacity to react.

Once these fundamentals are mastered, you make the leap. You’ll fly our more advanced Diamond DA20s and the Tecnam P2008 Premium and NG, equipped with transitional Glass Cockpit systems like the Garmin G500, G3X Touch, and IFD440. This is where you connect analogue concepts to their digital representation.

During your Instrument (IFR) phase, you will immerse yourself in the Garmin G1000 platform, present in our Diamond DA40, Cirrus SR20, and Diamond DA42 aircraft. This is the most widespread Glass Cockpit system in the world for training and general aviation.

Finally, in your most advanced multi-engine phases, you will fly with the most cutting-edge equipment on the market. Both our Diamond DA62 and the Tecnam P2006T MKII Premium and NG are equipped with Garmin G1000 Nxi avionics.

This is the fastest, most powerful, and most modern version of the G1000, featuring faster processors and higher-resolution screens. It’s the same state-of-the-art technology you will find in brand-new aircraft when you make the professional leap.

This progression ensures that when you finish your training, you will be a pilot capable of adapting with confidence to any flight deck, from the most basic to a commercial jet.

Your final checklist for analysing a fleet in detail

You now know how to identify an elite training fleet. You have the definitive checklist to make an informed decision:

Ask for the registrations to verify the true number of aircraft.
Enquire about the manufacturers and models, and whether they are leaders in safety and technology.
Analyse if the fleet offers the correct variety for a complete training progression.
And above all, take a deep interest in the avionics, demanding a training path that takes you from the analogue fundamentals to the airline standard.

Now it’s your turn: open your eyes, compare, and make a decision based on evidence. The quality of the aircraft you train in will define the quality of the pilot you become.

If, after this analysis, you are looking for a school that not only fulfils but leads in every one of these points; a school that offers you the most modern, safest, and most advanced fleet in Europe…

Then yes, you want to come to One Air.

The aircraft fleet

1. Number of aircraft in the fleet and their registration

2. Aircraft manufacturers and models