Diamond DA50

The Diamond DA50 is a five seat, single-engine, composite aircraft designed and built by Diamond Aircraft Industries. First shown in 2006, it made its maiden flight on 4 April 2007. The project has been proposed to be powered by several different engines, but was certified on 9 September 2020 with the Continental CD-300 diesel.

Development
The DA50 Super Star prototype was unofficially first shown in December 2006 at a Diamond company Christmas party. The aircraft was designed with the intention of fitting it with gasoline, turboprop or diesel engines up to 350 hp. The initial design goal was that it would have one of the largest cabins of the new generation of general aviation airplanes.

The avgas-powered version of the DA50 was intended to be equipped with a single FADEC-equipped Continental TSIO-550-J powerplant with twin turbo chargers producing 350 hp. The plane's wingspan was reported as 38.3 ft, with overall fuselage length of 29 ft. The maximum takeoff weight was planned to be 3527 lb. The Diamond DA50 Super Star was intended to be pressurized and to offer a Ballistic Recovery Systems aircraft parachute system as an option.

The DA50 made its first test flight on 4 April 2007 at the Wiener Neustadt East Airport, Austria. The airplane made its public debut at the AERO Friedrichshafen show in Germany on 19 April 2007 and was first shown in North America at Airventure in July 2007.

The DA50 project was put on hold in 2009 as the economy entered the Great Recession and Diamond turned all their attention to the Diamond D-Jet.

On 19 January 2015 the prototype, now designated DA50-JP7 and powered by an Ivchenko-Progress Motor Sich AI-450S turboprop powerplant, was test-flown in Wiener Neustadt. In 2015 type certification was expected near the end of 2016.

At the April 2017 AERO Friedrichshafen show, Diamond announced DA50 variants powered by diesel SMA Engines and other powerplants. These included the four-seat 230 hp DA50-IV, the five-seat 260 hp DA50-V and seven-seat 360 hp DA50-VII - also proposed to be powered by a 375 hp gasoline Lycoming engine or an Ivchenko-Progress Motor Sich AI-450S turboprop. The DA50-V model was displayed at that show. It had made its first flight in March 2017 and at that time certification was planned for 2018.

By April 2019 no DA50 models had been produced beyond one single prototype. The company then announced a new version of the design with fully retractable landing gear and a Continental CD-300 diesel engine, at the 2019 AERO Friedrichshafen show. That retractable gear-equipped second prototype was first flown on 28 October 2019. At that time Diamond planned to announce its price and start accepting orders at the Aero Friedrichshafen show in April 2020, with European certification and introduction expected in the third quarter of 2020.

Diamond Aircraft announced EASA certification of the DA50 RG (retractable gear) on 9 September 2020, with deliveries planned to start in the first quarter of 2021. FAA certification and the aircraft's first U.S. sale occurred in July 2023.

Design
The five-seat DA50 RG airframe is constructed predominantly of composite material. It is powered by a single 300 hp Continental CD-300 diesel engine, with a fuel capacity of 50 u.s.gal.

The design features double-slotted flaps, retractable landing gear, a Garmin G1000 NXi flightdeck with autopilot and single lever power controls. Optional equipment includes a removable right-hand control stick, an on-board oxygen system, electric-powered air conditioning, a TKS de-icing system and a Garmin GCU 476 input keypad.

The aircraft cruises at 180 kn and has a 750 nmi range, with a fuel economy of 9 USgal per hour. It has a useful load of 1232 lb.

Operational history
In its first long flight, a factory demonstrator DA50 RG was flown from the factory in Austria to the China AirShow 2021 in Zhuhai, Guangdong. The flight involved 12 stops en route and took 45 flight hours over eight days, flying 7033 nmi.

Variants

 * DA50 SuperStar
 * Pressurized version powered by a Teledyne Continental TSIOF-550J. US FAA certification was initially forecast for 2012.


 * DA50 Magnum
 * Unpressurized version, with a standard integral oxygen system, powered by an Austro Engine AE 300 170 hp diesel, US FAA certification originally forecast for mid-2010.


 * DA50-JP7
 * Seven-seat version powered by a 465 hp FADEC-controlled Ivchenko-Progress Motor Sich AI-450S turboprop engine. Two sub-variants were planned, one "tundra" version with rugged landing gear, and one high-performance version for training and private customers. Certification was initially planned for the mid to end of 2016.


 * DA50-IV
 * Four-seat version powered by a 230 hp SMA SR305-230 diesel engine announced at the AERO Friedrichshafen show in April 2017.


 * DA50-V
 * Five-seat version powered by an SMA Engines 260 hp diesel engine. It was first flown in March 2017 and introduced at the AERO Friedrichshafen show in April 2017. Certification was initially planned for 2018.


 * DA50-VII
 * Seven-seat version powered by an SMA Engines SMA SR460 360 hp diesel engine, a 375 hp Lycoming Engines gasoline powerplant or a 450 hp Ivchenko-Progress Motor Sich AI-450S turboprop. The model was announced at the Aero Friedrichshafen show in April 2017.


 * DA50 RG
 * Five seat version powered by a Continental CD-300 300 hp diesel engine. The model received an EASA type certificate on 9 September 2020 and FAA certification on 25 July 2023.