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Diamond DA42 Twin Star
The Diamond DA42 Twin Star is a four seat, twin engine, propeller-driven airplane developed and manufactured in Austria and Canada by Diamond Aircraft Industries, an Austrian subsidiary of China-based Wanfeng Aviation. It was Diamond's first twin engine design, as well as the first new European twin-engine aircraft in its category to be developed in over 25 years. In 2004, the DA42 became the first diesel-powered fixed-wing aircraft to perform a non-stop crossing of the North Atlantic.
By 2012, the DA42 had become a key revenue generator for the company, having gained popularity with government and military operators in addition to the civil market that had suffered as a result of the Great Recession. Government customers have typically employed the type in the aerial surveillance role, which contributed towards the development of the Aeronautics Defense Dominator, a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which had been derived from the DA42.
Since its founding in the 1980s, Austrian manufacturer Diamond Aircraft Industries had concentrated on building an extensive product line. During the late 1990s, company founder and chief executive officer Christian Dries approached the design team with a concept for a twin-engined aircraft, which became the company's first multi-engined aircraft, and became the next step beyond the Diamond DA40. This concept emphasised several key qualities, including the need for the aircraft to be simple to operate and fuel-efficient, while providing a luxurious four-seat passenger compartment akin to modern automobiles. The concept was not popular at the time; Aerospace publication Flying Magazine referred to Diamond's choice to develop a twin-engined aircraft for general aviation use as "the emergence of an all-new light-piston twin in this class something of a surprise."
During April 2004, the DA42 Twin Star received certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) under the latter's newly-introduced Part procedures. In July 2005, the aircraft was awarded certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US. It has been certified to fly under both visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR), allowing it to be operated under a wide range of conditions. At the time of its introduction to service, aerospace publication Flight International observed that "The DA42 has no natural competitors in its class and sets a benchmark for European general aviation".
During August 2004, the DA42 Twin Star piloted by Gérard Guillaumaud became the first diesel-powered fixed-wing aircraft to perform a non-stop crossing of the North Atlantic, taking 12.5 hours while operating with an average fuel consumption of 21.73 litres (4.78 imp gal; 5.74 US gal) per hour (10.86 litres (2.39 imp gal; 2.87 US gal) per hour per engine). In June 2010, a DA42 powered by Austro AE300 engines became the first aircraft to be publicly flown on algae-derived jet fuel.
As a consequence of the insolvency of engine manufacturer Thielert and decisions of the insolvency administrator, including cancelling warranty support and the prorating of time-between-overhaul for the Thielert engines that power the DA42, in July 2008, Diamond announced that production of the DA42 had been suspended. At the time production was suspended the DA42 was reported to hold around 80% of the piston twin market.
In March 2009, Diamond achieved EASA certification for the Austro Engine AE 300, which enabled the DA42 to resume production. Equipped with the Austro engine, these aircraft were designated and marketed as the DA42 NG. In April 2009, the first Austro-powered DA42 NG was delivered to a customer in Sweden. On 9 April 2010, the DA42 NG received FAA certification, clearing the way for sales to resume to North American customers.
By March 2012, the DA42 had become the major income driver at Diamond Aircraft. Company CEO Christian Dries indicated that the market focus of the company had been changed by the Great Recession of 2008–2010 which had led the company to transition to derive two-thirds of its revenue from military and government contracts, primarily for manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft, the latter in the form of the Aeronautics Defense Dominator.
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Diamond DA42 Twin Star
The Diamond DA42 Twin Star is a four seat, twin engine, propeller-driven airplane developed and manufactured in Austria and Canada by Diamond Aircraft Industries, an Austrian subsidiary of China-based Wanfeng Aviation. It was Diamond's first twin engine design, as well as the first new European twin-engine aircraft in its category to be developed in over 25 years. In 2004, the DA42 became the first diesel-powered fixed-wing aircraft to perform a non-stop crossing of the North Atlantic.
By 2012, the DA42 had become a key revenue generator for the company, having gained popularity with government and military operators in addition to the civil market that had suffered as a result of the Great Recession. Government customers have typically employed the type in the aerial surveillance role, which contributed towards the development of the Aeronautics Defense Dominator, a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which had been derived from the DA42.
Since its founding in the 1980s, Austrian manufacturer Diamond Aircraft Industries had concentrated on building an extensive product line. During the late 1990s, company founder and chief executive officer Christian Dries approached the design team with a concept for a twin-engined aircraft, which became the company's first multi-engined aircraft, and became the next step beyond the Diamond DA40. This concept emphasised several key qualities, including the need for the aircraft to be simple to operate and fuel-efficient, while providing a luxurious four-seat passenger compartment akin to modern automobiles. The concept was not popular at the time; Aerospace publication Flying Magazine referred to Diamond's choice to develop a twin-engined aircraft for general aviation use as "the emergence of an all-new light-piston twin in this class something of a surprise."
During April 2004, the DA42 Twin Star received certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) under the latter's newly-introduced Part procedures. In July 2005, the aircraft was awarded certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US. It has been certified to fly under both visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR), allowing it to be operated under a wide range of conditions. At the time of its introduction to service, aerospace publication Flight International observed that "The DA42 has no natural competitors in its class and sets a benchmark for European general aviation".
During August 2004, the DA42 Twin Star piloted by Gérard Guillaumaud became the first diesel-powered fixed-wing aircraft to perform a non-stop crossing of the North Atlantic, taking 12.5 hours while operating with an average fuel consumption of 21.73 litres (4.78 imp gal; 5.74 US gal) per hour (10.86 litres (2.39 imp gal; 2.87 US gal) per hour per engine). In June 2010, a DA42 powered by Austro AE300 engines became the first aircraft to be publicly flown on algae-derived jet fuel.
As a consequence of the insolvency of engine manufacturer Thielert and decisions of the insolvency administrator, including cancelling warranty support and the prorating of time-between-overhaul for the Thielert engines that power the DA42, in July 2008, Diamond announced that production of the DA42 had been suspended. At the time production was suspended the DA42 was reported to hold around 80% of the piston twin market.
In March 2009, Diamond achieved EASA certification for the Austro Engine AE 300, which enabled the DA42 to resume production. Equipped with the Austro engine, these aircraft were designated and marketed as the DA42 NG. In April 2009, the first Austro-powered DA42 NG was delivered to a customer in Sweden. On 9 April 2010, the DA42 NG received FAA certification, clearing the way for sales to resume to North American customers.
By March 2012, the DA42 had become the major income driver at Diamond Aircraft. Company CEO Christian Dries indicated that the market focus of the company had been changed by the Great Recession of 2008–2010 which had led the company to transition to derive two-thirds of its revenue from military and government contracts, primarily for manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft, the latter in the form of the Aeronautics Defense Dominator.