Diamond DA 42

The DA42 Twinstar is an all-carbon composite, four-seat airplane developed by Diamond Aircraft Industries. It is Diamond’s first twin-engine aircraft, and in 2004, it became the first diesel-powered fixed-wing aircraft to perform a non-stop crossing of the North Atlantic. Its first flight was on December 9, 2002, and EASA certification was granted in April 2004. It also was certified to fly under both VFR and IFR.

Thanks to the DA42 Twinstar’s two Austro E4 engines, it can fly cross-country flights of up to 1210 nm. The 3-blade constant-speed MT propellers feature advanced blade geometry, and the composite airframe can be easily maintained. Although the aircraft is not relatively fast compared to most single-engine airplanes, it offers efficient performance and smoothness in flight. The DA42 can climb at a rate of 1040 feet per minute with both engines and 170 feet per minute in the event that an engine is lost.

The cockpit of the DA42 Twinstar is equipped with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics with several options, including integrated weather radar and Synthetic Vision. Variants of this aircraft include the DA42 M, DA42 NG, and the DA42-VI–the most recent model with new propeller faster speeds.