Track every flight, analyse your performance,
and master your flying skills with My FS Flights
Get 10 flights free every month!
Tracked and analysed flights over miles
The Diamond DA50 is a five-seat, single-engine composite aircraft built by Diamond Aircraft Industries of Austria, developed as a large-cabin step-up single sitting above the DA40 and DA42 in the manufacturer's range. After a long and winding development involving several proposed engine and airframe configurations, it entered production as the retractable-gear DA50 RG powered by a Continental CD-300 diesel, offering the sim pilot a modern, glass-cockpit touring single with turbine-like fuel handling.
The Diamond DA50 is an Austrian-designed five-seat, single-engine light aircraft of predominantly composite construction, produced by Diamond Aircraft Industries. It was conceived as a large-cabin, high-performance touring single intended to bridge the gap between smaller four-seat trainers and larger high-performance singles. The definitive production version, the DA50 RG, is a low-wing design with retractable landing gear, a Garmin G1000 NXi flightdeck and a diesel powerplant burning Jet A rather than avgas.
The DA50 Super Star prototype was unofficially shown in December 2006 at a Diamond company Christmas party and made its public debut at the AERO Friedrichshafen show in Germany on 19 April 2007, having made its maiden flight on 4 April 2007 at Wiener Neustadt East Airport, Austria. It was first shown in North America at Airventure in July 2007. The original design intent was for an aircraft with one of the largest cabins among the new generation of general aviation types, offered with gasoline, turboprop or diesel engines up to 260 kW (350 hp), and with pressurization and an optional Ballistic Recovery Systems parachute under consideration for the Super Star model. The project was put on hold in 2009 as the Great Recession took hold and Diamond redirected its attention to the D-Jet programme. Development resumed with a turboprop-powered prototype, redesignated DA50-JP7 and fitted with an Ivchenko-Progress Motor Sich AI-450S, which was test-flown on 19 January 2015 at Wiener Neustadt, with type certification expected near the end of 2016. At the April 2017 AERO Friedrichshafen show, Diamond announced a family of diesel-powered variants, the DA50-IV, DA50-V and DA50-VII, with the DA50-V making its first flight in March 2017 and certification then planned for 2018. By April 2019 none of these had reached production beyond the single prototype, and Diamond instead announced a new version with fully retractable landing gear and a Continental CD-300 diesel engine at the 2019 AERO Friedrichshafen show. This retractable-gear prototype first flew on 28 October 2019. Diamond Aircraft announced EASA certification of the resulting DA50 RG on 9 September 2020, with deliveries planned to start in the first quarter of 2021. FAA certification followed, with the aircraft's first U.S. sale occurring in July 2023.
The production DA50 RG airframe is constructed predominantly of composite material and is powered by a single 220 kW (300 hp) Continental CD-300 diesel engine burning Jet A, with a fuel capacity of 190 L (50 U.S. gal). The design features double-slotted flaps, retractable landing gear, a Garmin G1000 NXi flightdeck with autopilot, and single-lever power control. 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. Useful load is quoted at 560 kg (1,232 lb). Earlier in development, the aircraft was reported with a wingspan of 11.67 m (38.3 ft), an overall fuselage length of 8.84 m (29 ft) and a planned maximum takeoff weight of 3,527 lb (1,600 kg); other published figures for related variants give a maximum takeoff weight around 1,500 kg (3,250 lb) with a maximum payload of 900 lb (400 kg) and fuel capacity of 200 L.
The DA50 RG cruises at 180 kn (333 km/h) with a range of 750 nmi (1,389 km) and a fuel economy of around 34 L (9 US gal) per hour. Published figures for take-off distance (ISA, sea level, maximum take-off mass) give a ground roll of 440 m and a distance to clear a 50 ft obstacle of 740 m (1,444 ft / 2,427 ft), while landing distance is quoted as a 340 m ground roll and 640 m over a 50 ft obstacle (1,115 ft / 2,100 ft). Earlier Magnum-configuration figures list a maximum cruise speed of 160 kt (184 mph / 296 km/h), an approach speed of 85 kt, a service ceiling of 18,000 ft, a rate of climb of 2,000 ft/min and a range of around 1,000 nmi.
Several distinct DA50 configurations were proposed or built through the programme's development. The DA50 Super Star was a pressurized version powered by a Teledyne Continental TSIOF-550J, with US FAA certification initially forecast for 2012. The DA50 Magnum was an unpressurized version with a standard integral oxygen system, powered by an Austro Engine AE 300 producing 130 kW (170 hp), with certification originally forecast for mid-2010. The DA50-JP7 was a seven-seat version powered by a 350 kW (465 hp) FADEC-controlled Ivchenko-Progress Motor Sich AI-450S turboprop, planned in a rugged tundra sub-variant and a high-performance training and private-owner sub-variant. The DA50-IV was a four-seat version powered by a 170 kW (230 hp) SMA SR305-230 diesel. The DA50-V was a five-seat version powered by a 190 kW (260 hp) SMA Engines diesel, first flown in March 2017. The DA50-VII was a seven-seat version offered with an SMA SR460 diesel producing 270 kW (360 hp), a 280 kW (375 hp) Lycoming gasoline engine, or a 340 kW (450 hp) Ivchenko-Progress Motor Sich AI-450S turboprop. The definitive production model, the DA50 RG, is the five-seat version with retractable landing gear powered by the Continental CD-300 diesel.
The DA50 RG is positioned by Diamond as a modern touring aircraft for private owners seeking a large-cabin, high-performance single with efficient diesel operation on Jet A fuel. In one notable long-distance flight, a factory demonstrator DA50 RG was flown from the factory in Austria to the China AirShow 2021 in Zhuhai, Guangdong, a journey involving 12 stops en route that took 45 flight hours over eight days and covered 13,025 km (7,033 nmi).
For a simulator pilot, the DA50 RG represents a modern composite single with retractable gear, a Garmin G1000 NXi glass flightdeck and single-lever FADEC power control on its Continental CD-300 diesel, giving straightforward power management without traditional mixture and prop controls. Cruise performance around 180 kn with a 750 nmi range makes it representative of the touring-single category, sitting between smaller trainers and larger high-performance singles such as the Cirrus SR22T, though with a notably lower fuel burn given its diesel powerplant running on Jet A.
