CEO At The Controls On Plane's Second
Flight
After the successful first flight of its new D-Jet on April 18,
Diamond hasn't let the plane settle on the ground for long.
Instead, the company has continued an aggressive flight test
program with additional flights on April 19, 20 and 21 to further
expand the speed envelope and continue evaluation of handling
characteristics.
In fact, Diamond tells ANN that company CEO Christian Dries
(below) was able to evaluate the jet personally, on its second
flight on April 19 (proving once again that it's good to be the
boss -- Ed).
"I was particularly impressed by the feeling of space, security
and solidity. The simplicity of operation, from engine start
through take-off, flight and landing was very obvious and reflects
my vision of what a personal jet should be," Dries said after the
53-minute flight. "The Williams engine performed flawlessly and in
combination with the high L/D wing design, produces higher take off
performance than the thrust to weight ratio might suggest. My
familiarity with the Garmin G1000 in the DA40 and DA42 made the
transition to the D-JET avionics suite very natural."
"Our personal jet balances big airplane comfort, realistic
acquisition and operating cost with practical performance for
private pilots the response since our first flight has been
tremendous and we look forward to continuing the development to
bring this aircraft to market," Dries added.
First announced by Diamond Aircraft in January 2003, the
single-engine Diamond "D-Jet" is powered by a single Williams FJ-33
turbofan, an engine also used in the upcoming twin-engine Adams
A700 and ATG Javelin. The five-passenger D-Jet is expected to
cruise at a maximum speed of 315 knots, at an altitude of 25,000 ft
while offering range of 1,351nm -- which translates to a decidedly
un-jetlike fuel burn around 34 gallons per hour.
The composite aircraft features a Garmin G1000 glass cockpit,
which in basic configuration features a dual screen PFD / MFD with
integrated GFC 700 autopilot. The optional enhanced avionics
package adds a massive 15" MFD to the two 10" PFD's, a glare shield
mounted autopilot controller for the GFC 700 and a center console
mounted FMS controller.
The system features dual AHRS, dual magnetometers, dual GPS,
dual Com, dual Nav, dual Mode S transponders, and dual audio
panels.