Diamond DA42

DA42 Twin Star
DA42 Twin Star bio-fuel demonstrator at the 2010 Farnborough Airshow
Role	Light twin-engined utility and trainer aircraft
National origin	Austria
Manufacturer	Diamond Aircraft Industries
First flight	9 December 2002
Introduction	2004
Status	In production[1]
Unit cost	US$600,000
Variants	Aeronautics Defense Dominator

DA42 Twinstar

Diamond DA42 Twin Star instrument panel showing the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit installation

Diamond DA42 Twin Star Thielert Centurion 1.7 diesel engine

Diamond DA42 Twin Star showing prominent winglets

The Diamond DA42 Twin Star is a four seat, twin engine, propeller-driven airplane manufactured by Diamond Aircraft Industries. Its airframe is molded largely of composite materials.

Development

The DA42 Twin Star was certified in Europe in 2004^[2] and in the United States in 2005.^[3]

The airplane is made of carbon composite material. It is equipped with a Garmin G1000 glass cockpit.^[4] (A proof-of-concept version powered by two 180 hp (130 kW) Lycoming IO-360 engines also exists.^[5])

The DA42 Twin Star was the first diesel-powered fixed-wing aircraft to make a non-stop crossing of the North Atlantic, in 12.5 hours, with an average fuel consumption of 5.74 gallons per hour (2.87 gallons per hour per engine).^[6]

In June 2010 a DA42 powered by Austro AE300 engines became the first aircraft to be publicly flown on algae-derived jet fuel.^[7]

Powerplants

The DA42 was originally powered by two Thielert Centurion 1.7 diesel engines. Based on production Daimler Mercedes TDI automotive engines, Centurion aerodiesels are modified with propeller reduction drives and redundant hardware specific to aeronautical use. These engines can operate on diesel fuel, but according to TAE Centurion, Thielert's aircraft engine subsidiary, the company has elected to license the engines for jet fuel use only. In the United States, Jet-A or Jet-A1 fuel (or mixture) is used. A significant percentage of DA42s are used in flight training, where the aircraft is about 30% to 40% more fuel efficient than its main competitor, the Piper PA-44 Seminole, which uses 180 horsepower (130 kW) Lycoming engines to deliver similar cruise speeds and payloads.^{[citation needed]}

Thielert Aircraft Engines ended its production of the 1.7 L. Centurion engines (designated as TAE 125-01 Centurion 1.7) in favour of a new 2.0 L. (TAE 125-02-99) engine.^[8] Diamond began installing this new 2.0 L. engine in early 2007. Although engine displacement increased, it was de-rated to produce the same horsepower (135) and torque (302 ft·lbf.) as the 1.7 L. engine.^[9]

In late 2007, Diamond aircraft announced it would begin building and installing its own aerodiesels, through a subsidiary, Austro Engine GmbH, and with other partners that included Mercedes Benz Technologies. The use of Thielert engines on the DA42 came into question due to Thielert filing for insolvency in April 2008.^{[10][11][12][13][14]}

Due to the insolvency of Thielert and the decisions of the insolvency administrator, including cancelling warranty support and the prorating of time-between-overhaul for the Thielert engines that power the DA42, Diamond announced in July 2008 that production of the DA42 was suspended. At the time production was suspended the DA42 was reported to have 80 percent of the piston twin market.^[1][15][16]

In March 2009 Diamond achieved EASA certification for the Austro Engine AE 300 and returned the DA42 to production as the DA42 NG. The new engine produces 20% more power, while giving better fuel economy than the Thielert engines and results in a higher gross weight and increased performance. The first Austro-powered DA42 was delivered to a customer in Sweden in April 2009, with the first US customer aircraft expected in mid-2010. The Austro-powered DA42 NG received FAA certification on 9 April 2010.^[1][17][18]

Variants

DA42 outfitted for aerial survey

DA42 at the MAKS Airshow in Moscow, 2007

DA-42 MPP at the 2010 Farnborough Airshow

DA42

Production aircraft built in Austria and Canada

DA42 M

Special Mission variant built in Austria, modification from standard DA42 and new production.

DA42 L360

Lycoming IO-360 180 hp (134 kW) equipped version that will use 100LL fuel instead of Jet-A. Customer deliveries are forecast for early 2009 with an initial price of USD$599,500. This model is intended for the North American flight training market.^[19][20]

DA42 NG

Austro Engine AE 300 170 hp (127 kW) equipped version. EASA certified March 2009; FAA certified April 2010.^{[1][18][20][21]}

DA42 MPP

UK Ministry of Defence specified DA42 MPP variant for surveillance systems project, converted by DO Systems. Two ordered in June 2008.^[22]

Dominator II

Aeronautics Defense Systems Ltd developed UAV version of the DA42, designated as the Aeronautics Defense Dominator and first flown in July 2009. Has an endurance of 28 hours with a 900 lb (408 kg) payload and speed of 75-190 knots (140-354 km/h) to a maximum altitude of 30,000 ft (9,144 m).^[23][24]

Operators

Civil operators

The DA42 is mainly operated by flying clubs, flight training schools and some airborne survey operators.

Military operators

 Thailand

• Royal Thai Air Force - 6 on order. Delivery in mid 2009.^[25]

 United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force - 2 DA-42MPP operated in 2008 and 2009 in surveillance role.^[22][26][27]

Specifications (DA42 Twin Star)

Data from Type Certificate Data Sheet

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 pilot
• Capacity: 3 passengers
• Length: 8.56 m (28 ft 1 in)
• Wingspan: 13.42 m (44 ft 0 in)
• Height: 2.49 m (8 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 16.29 m² (175 ft²)
• Empty weight: 1251 kg (2761 lb)
• Gross weight: 1700 kg (3748 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Thielert Centurion turbocharged diesel engine, 101 kW (135 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 356 km/h (222 mph)
• Range: 1693 km (1055 miles)
• Service ceiling: 5486 m (18,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 6.5 m/s (1280 ft/min)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Piper Seminole
• Beechcraft Duchess
• EM-11 Orka
  

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Niles, Russ (March 2009). "Re-engined Diesel Twin Star EASA Certified". http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/ReenginedDieselTwinStarEASACertified_199971-1.html. Retrieved 2009-03-19. 
2. ^ Diamond Aircraft (May 2004). "DA42 Twin Star EASA certification". http://www.diamondair.com/news/05_13_04.php. 
3. ^ Diamond Aircraft (July 2005). "DA42-TDI Twin Star FAA certified". http://www.diamondair.com/news/07_26_05.php. 
4. ^ Diamond Aircraft (2003). "Garmin's G1000 System offered in the DA42 Twin Star". Archived from the original on 2008-05-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20080511074609/http://www.diamondair.com/news/04_28_03.php. Retrieved 2008-04-15. 
5. ^ Diamond Aircraft (july 2005). "Twin Twin Stars Inbound!". Archived from the original on 2008-05-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20080511074616/http://www.diamondair.com/news/07_21_05.php. Retrieved 2008-04-15. 
6. ^ Diamond Aircraft (2004). "DA42 Twin Star crosses Atlantic non-stop: first Atlantic crossing of a diesel powered aircraft". Archived from the original on 2008-03-31. http://web.archive.org/web/20080331041108/http://www.diamondair.com/news/08_20_04.php. Retrieved 2008-04-15. 
7. ^ Pew, Glenn (June 2010). "EADS: Algae-Fueled DA42 A "World's First" (And Better)". http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/algae_fuel_diamond_da42_berlin_efficient_202700-1.html. Retrieved 10 June 2010. 
8. ^ Thielert Aviation Engines (January 2007). "Thielert engine in next development stage". http://web.thielert.com/typo3/index.php?id=660&backPID=660&begin_at=10&tt_news=863&L=1. Retrieved 2008-04-15. 
9. ^ "Diamond Aircraft Product pages". http://www.diamondair.com. 
10. ^ Niles, Russ (April 2008). "More Trouble For Thielert". http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/MoreTroubleFor_Thielert_197722-1.html. Retrieved 2008-04-24. 
11. ^ AvWeb Staff (May 2008). "Cessna Suspends Diesel 172 Sales, Diamond Steps Up Support". http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/CessnaSuspendsDiesel172SalesDiamondStepsUpSupport_197780-1.html. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 
12. ^ "Diamond Says Thielert Insolvency Administrator Is Playing Hardball". http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=6dd57ffd-afc0-4bf4-81dc-823a4ec89292. Retrieved 2008-04-24. 
13. ^ Bertorelli, Paul (May 2008). "Thielert: How To Kill A Company (Maybe Two)". http://www.avweb.com/blogs/insider/AVwebInsiderBlog_Thielert_HowToKillACompany_197956-1.html. Retrieved 2008-05-27. 
14. ^ Bertorelli, Paul (May 2008). "Thielert: No Warranty Support For Diamond Diesels". http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/ThielertCancelsWarrantySupport_197880-1.html. Retrieved 2008-05-15. 
15. ^ Niles, Russ (July 2008). "Diamond Tries To Soothe DA42 Customers". http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/DiamondTriesToSootheDA42Customers_198391-1.html. Retrieved 2008-05-28. 
16. ^ Niles, Russ (November 2008). "Diamond's Thielert Problems Ease". http://www.avweb.com/news/aopa/AOPAExpo2008_Diamond_ThielertDieselEngine_Relief_199144-1.html. Retrieved 2008-11-07. 
17. ^ Peppler, Graeme (April 2009). "Diesel DA50 Headed To U.S.". http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/DieselDA50HeadedToU.S._200082-1.html. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
18. ^ ^{a b} Pew, Glenn (April 2010). "Diamond's DA42 NG, FAA/EASA Certified". http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/diamond_da42_ng_certified_FAA_EASA_fiki_202322-1.html. Retrieved 12 April 2010. 
19. ^ Diamond Aircraft (November 2008). "Diamond Aircraft unveils new Lycoming-powered DA42 L360 twin at AOPA Expo 2008". http://www.diamondaircraft.com/news/news-article.php?id=38. Retrieved 2008-12-27. 
20. ^ ^{a b} Diamond Aircraft (July 2008). "Diamond announces DA42 New Horizons: Austro-Engine, Lycoming powered DA42s". http://www.diamondaircraft.com/news/news-article.php?id=1. Retrieved 2008-12-27. 
21. ^ Aero-News Network (2009). "Diamond Aircraft Receives FAA Certification For Austro Engine AE300 Powerplant!". http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?contentBlockId=92cb0e1d-44c6-40d6-bfa5-4ad8930e4954#d. Retrieved 2009-07-31. 
22. ^ ^{a b} "Air Forces Monthly (UK edition), Oct 2008, pp 70". http://www.airforcesmonthly.com. 
23. ^ Niles, Russ (August 2009). "DA42-Based UAV Tested". http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/DA42_UAV_Tested_200979-1.html. Retrieved 2009-08-13. 
24. ^ defence.professionals GmbH (July 2009). "Aeronautics Defense Systems successfully tested unmanned Diamond DA42". http://www.defpro.com/news/details/8886/. Retrieved 2009-08-13. 
25. ^ Diamond Aircraft Industries Royal Thai Air Force chooses 6 DA42 for it's (sic) training program
26. ^ The Register British Forces operating two modified DA42 with 39 squadron in ISTAR role.
27. ^ Displaying Serials in range ZA

External links

• Press Release on Atlantic crossing
• Article in AOPA Pilot Magazine
• EU Airworthiness Directive 2007-0182 An Airworthiness Directive was issued to resolve a reliability problem with the Theilert Engines, following a dual-engine failure.
• Diamond Airborne Sensing Special purpose options are available for survey missions.
• European Aviation Safety Agency Type Certificate Data Sheet