An Honorable Role For A Cool Little Twin

In a day and age when GA can use all the good press it can get, it sure is nice watching a familiar GA bird doing duty in a role that anyone can feel good about.

Diamond's double-breasted DA42 MPP, powered by two turbo-charged diesel engines, has accomplished its first test flight with a OPTIMARE IR/UV Line Scanner as well as the OPTIMARE VIS Line Scanner at Diamond’s headquarters in Austria to detect oil spills.

Reducing the fuel flow, in total, down to 7.2 GPH (at loitering speed), the aircraft can easily provide “off shore” missions, and up to 10.5 hours without refueling -- leaving lots of time for the aircraft to remain on station. Diamond is optimistic about the demand to support harbor control, monitor illegal bunt cleaning and all other kind of environmental protection since the DA42 offers this capability along with very low operational costs to cover huge areas over water.

Further tests are conducted along the North-German coast in June 2011. Customer presentations are planned for the second half of 2011.

FMI: www.diamondair.com