Diamond Da 42 All Details

The Diamond DA42 is a lightweight twin-engine aircraft manufactured by the Austrian aircraft manufacturer Diamond Aircraft Industries. It was first introduced in 2002. Often used by flight schools for training purposes, Diamond DA42 is also used for military purposes, personal use in business, and for aerial research.

With a modern and impressive design made of K composite materials, the DA42 has a wingspan of 13.55 m and a length of 8.56 m. Thanks to its empty weight of about 1,420 kg and 2 Austro AE300 turbo-diesel engines, it can reach speeds of 197 knots and a range of more than 2000 km.

1. Flight Features: DA42 ensures safety and high maneuverability as it is a twin-engine aircraft. Flight features include good straight-line flight performance, fast climb, high-altitude flight, and near-ground flights. 

2:Cockpit: The cockpit of the DA42 has a modern design. Flight instruments, navigation systems and avionics are highly developed and there are many different systems for flight safety.

3. Uses: DA42 is used in many different fields, such as aerial research, personal use, commercial flights and student pilot training.

Weaknesses

Cost: The DA42 has a slightly higher cost compared to other aircraft of similar class. Therefore, it can be a costly option for some businesses.

Maintenance: The DA42 is a modern aircraft and can be time-consuming and expensive to maintain, like other modern aircraft. In particular, the maintenance of Austro AE300 turbo-diesel engines can be quite specific and expensive.

Flight Restrictions: The DA42 is not suitable for flying in icy weather conditions, except for some special uses such as aerial research. Flying in icy conditions can adversely affect the performance and safety of the aircraft.

Passenger Comfort: Since the DA42 is a light aircraft, it has some limitations in terms of passenger comfort. Especially for long-haul flights, passenger comfort may be less than on other larger aircraft.

Dual Motor Competitors

1. Cessna 310

2. Beechcraft G58 Baron

3. Piper PA-34 Seneca

4.Tecnam P2012 Traveller 

5. Tecnam P2006t

Single Engine Competitors

1.Vulcanair V1.0
2. Socata TB20 Trinidad
3.Mooney M20TN Acclaim Ultra
4. Piper PA-46R-350T Matrix
5.Beechcraft A36 Bonanza
6. Cirrus SR22T

Featured Variants

1.DA42 Twin Star: The first production model, the DA42 Twin Star uses two Thielert Centurion 1.7 turbo-diesel engines.

2.DA42 MPP: DA42 Multi-Purpose Platform (MPP) is specially designed for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. This model can be equipped with many different sensors and systems manufactured by Sensis Corporation.

3.DA42 NG: The Next Generation (NG) model includes advanced features such as Austro Engine AE300 turbo-diesel engines and Garmin G1000 avionics system.

4.DA42 L360: The L360 model has 168 HP Lycoming IO-360 engines, providing higher performance compared to the DA42 NG.

5.DA42 MPP GeoStar: GeoStar has the features of MPP, providing superior aerial photography and imaging along with LIDAR and other sensors.

6. DA42-VI: The DA42-VI is a new generation DA42 model with a lighter build, advanced features such as Austro Engine AE300 turbo-diesel engines and Garmin G1000NXi avionics.

These are just a few variations of the DA42, and other models manufactured by Diamond Aircraft Industries are also available