Diamond DA50


The Diamond DA50 Super Star and DA50 Magnum are Austrian five-place single-engine composite aircraft designed by Diamond Aircraft Industries. Introduced in 2006, the project was later put on hold until the turboprop JP7 variant was introduced in 2015.

Development

The DA50 was unofficially presented in December 2006 at a company Christmas party and is to be able to be operated with gasoline and diesel engines up to 350 hp. The new five seater will have one of the largest cabins of the new generation of general aviation airplanes.
The avgas powered version of the DA50 is to be equipped with a single FADEC-equipped Continental TSIO-550-J powerplant with twin turbo chargers producing. The plane's wingspan is currently reported as 38', 4", with overall fuselage length of 29 feet. The maximum takeoff weight is planned to be 3,527 lbs. The Diamond DA50 Super Star will be pressurized and offer a Ballistic Recovery Systems aircraft parachute system as an option.
The DA50 made its maiden test flight on April 4, 2007 at the Wiener Neustadt East Airport, Austria. The plane made its public debut at the AERO Friedrichshafen show in Germany on April 19, 2007.
The DA50 project was put on hold in 2009 as the economy entered an extended downturn 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 launched variants powered by diesel Safran/SMA Engines : the four-seat 230shp DA50-IV; five-seat 260shp DA50-V which was on display, made its first flight in March and is scheduled for certification in 2018; and seven-seat 360shp DA50-VII - also available with a 375shp petrol Lycoming engine or an AI-450S turboprop.
By April 2019 no DA50 models had been produced beyond one single prototype. The company announced a new version of the design, with fully retractable landing gear and a Continental CD-300 diesel engine. That retractable gear-equipped second prototype was first flown on 28 October 2019, by then, Diamond planned to announce its price and open the orderbook at the Aero Friedrichshafen show in April 2020, and expected European certification and introduction in the third quarter of 2020.

Variants

;DA50 SuperStar
;DA50 Magnum
;DA50-JP7
;DA50-IV
;DA50-V
;DA50-VII

Specifications (DA50 SuperStar)