Five-Place Aircraft Makes American Debut At AirVenture
Sporting a winglet-tipped 38-foot wingspan and four-blade
propeller, Diamond managers unveiled the 350-horsepower DA50 at
AirVenture Monday afternoon.
Quick-hit details include several firsts for this industry
segment, such as single-lever FADEC control for a turbocharged
engine and three-screen Garmin G1000 avionics package. Cabin width
is a class-leading 52 inches and gross weight is projected to be
3560 lbs. The nose wheel is a free-castering unit similar to those
featured on other Diamond models.
Diamond managers believe the DA50 will serve as a market
stopgap, filling the void for a composite single with more than
four seats. "We looked at the piston-single market, and saw a sweet
spot: a plane with room for more than four people, a
high-performance plane made to fly with a FADEC turbo engine,"
stated Diamond’s VP of Marketing, Heike Larson.
Synchronous with the movement to make airplanes feel more like
luxury cars, Diamond went all-out to make the DA50 prototype look
production ready.
"As with a 5 Series BMW, owners of aircraft like this expect a
certain level of luxury," said Larson. "[The DA50] is a great plane
for anybody who wants more space, luxury, and performance." (BMW is
a popular comparison at Oshkosh this year... earlier in the day,
Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn compared the new Eclipse Concept Jet to a
3-Series.)
In the DA50, wood trim is splashed throughout the interior
(including the center-mounted control sticks), further adding to
the automotive motif. Optional features such as automatic air
conditioning and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system are available
as well.
A TKS "icing protection system" will be optional, but known-ice
certification is not currently planned. When pressed for comment on
the issue of icing certification, Diamond president Peter Maurer
said "We’ll take a look at known-ice certification, but the
fixed landing gear complicates [the certification process] which
adds expense and complexity that may not add value for our
clients."
Other options will include a BRS airframe parachute, long-range
fuel tanks, and the aforementioned air conditioning and
entertainment systems. Production certification for Europe is
expected in mid-2008, and for the United States in mid-2009. Base
price is expected to be around $600,000. Diamond has begun taking
$15,000 deposits for "priority loyalty" positions.
Oshkosh visitors, such as Jerry and Robyn Gonsoulin of Houma,
LA, were impressed.
"This thing is great, just great. We came to see the D-Jet and
had no idea this was going to be here," said Jerry. "I believe [the
DA50] is good enough that I may consider it before a small jet. It
has the space, the ease of entry, and the features I am looking
for."