Diamond Aircraft received FAA certification for its $1.15 million DA50 RG turbodiesel-powered piston single Tuesday morning at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Subsequently, it made its first customer delivery for the type in the U.S.
Long-time Diamond dealer Premier Aircraft Sales of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, handed over the aircraft to customer Jordan Cram. It is one of four DA50s that Premier expects to deliver to customers this year.
The DA50 RG has retractable landing gear and is powered by a Continental Aerospace Technology CD-300 engine, which is fueled by jet-A and delivers a nine-gallon-per-hour fuel burn rate cruising at 181 knots and 16,000 feet altitude. The five-seat aircraft has a range of 750 nm.
“Our revolutionary DA50 RG is getting overwhelming high praise from everyone that flies it,” said Liqun "Frank" Zhang, CEO of Diamond Aircraft Group and Diamond Aircraft Austria. “Its combination of cabin size, utility, performance, and efficiency paired with environmentally friendly jet fuel engines make it an ideal aircraft for the U.S. market.”
Premier Aircraft v-p Jeff Owen told AIN that the rakish-looking DA50 appeals to customers who “don’t want the same old same old” and appreciate the durability and fuel economy the Continental engine delivers. Owen pointed to a recent DA50 around-the-world flight made by pilots Matthias Niederhäuser and Robin Wenger. “They flew the plane 300 hours and put fuel and oil in it. That’s it. Continental really has this engine dialed in,” he said.