Diamond Aircraft’s diesel powered twin-engine aircraft has flown for the first time in Wiener Neustadt,

Austria. The DA42 Twinstar is the first to be equipped with two Thielert Centurion 1.7 jet A engines.

The aircraft comes standard with a 55-gallon fuel tank, cruises at 180 kts and the manufacturer claims it burns only ten gallons per hour.

Its range will be 1,230 nautical miles plus reserves and the useful load will be over 900 lbs with full

fuel tanks.

Christian Dries, ceo and owner of Diamond Aircraft flew the aircraft as pilot in command. He said that he is proud of everyone in his company for making the DA42 Twinstar a reality in only 55 weeks from the original announcement of the project and stated: “While today may not have been the proverbial one step for man, it is definitely one giant leap for Diamond Aircraft.”

He added: “I’m not Howard Hughes, I flew the Twinstar for the first time today, but not the last because I believe in this project and my people.”

Michael Feinig, managing director told EBAN: “We have already sold 56 Twinstars, for which we have received downpayments and before we start delivering in January 2004, I predict that we will have sold 200 or more of these aircraft.”

Diamond will begin work on its next project in April 2003. Feinig said: “We are producing a single engine, five or six seater jet.

“It will only be certified to fly to 25,000 feet because in the future European and US airspace structure, you won’t get any slots with a Mach 0.5 aircraft.

“The airspace below will be clear because all the turboprops will be busy doing shorter flights. Also, the airspace up there will be really crowded so you won’t get to 41,000 feet with a Mach 0.5 aircraft.”

He continued: “It’s much easier to certify things like avionics and emergency systems up to 25,000 feet and we will also have a very good engine which will give you a very efficient flight at this level.

“The aircraft will weigh under 2,000 kg, so owners wont have to pay airway fees in Europe. This is important because it already constitutes one third of the fuel cost. The aircraft will cruise at 320 knots and the low fuel consumption makes it very cost-effective.

“With the aircraft, pilots can go from point to point from 3,500 airports in Europe and 5,800 in the US. It will have a take-off run of 500 metres and will be very easy to fly – even private pilots can fly it.”

EBAN asked when the aircraft is set to be available: “The first flight is scheduled for July 10, 2004 and delivery starts in January 2006. We aim to be quicker than most of the competition and it is very important that Diamond that it delivers its promise.

“Other programmes have been slipping and this is not the way we want to treat our customers.”