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Diamond DA50

Miam – 3 places at the back and a nice cargo area… not in Diamond habits…

Everything here

9USG/h at max range power setting, let’s say 60%, makes probably 12 usg/h at normal cruise. But 180ktas max cruise is … say eh not great. G6 does 213ktas (that’s a published figures war).

Last Edited by greg_mp at 24 Jun 16:41
LFMD, France
Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Wow. 300hp for a 1999kg aircraft. It shows in poor takoff and initial climb performance.
The tanks are also too small; hence the poor range. And yes, slow indeed. But the airframe is just not very aerodynamically refined.

Except for using Jet-A and using a bit less of it, it loses against the SR22 on all accounts.

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

Meh. Doesn’t look good, seems underpowered, slow…

Even the useful load is low, how can the empty weight be higher than the PA46?

The initial climb does look anemic: Take off roll 440m vs 518m on the PA46 ,while 50ft distance is 740m vs 640m in the PA46…

Last Edited by denopa at 24 Jun 17:17
EGTF, LFTF

Spec sheet

I don’t see it as so bad. +1000fpm climb is fine. 550kg payload is fine. It already has full TKS and a ton of kit.

750nm range with 30 min reserve (presumably 840nm to dry tanks) is ok too but much depends on the TAS at which that is achieved. The old sales trick… If it is at 180kt TAS that’s very good. What does an SR22 so at 180kt TAS? Well it depends on the altitude of that TAS… But sooo few pilots do such long trips.

But yes a long way from the original DA42 adverts, claiming 200kt TAS and 2000nm range

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

This thing is outclassed by quite a few airplanes, even an old design like a T 210 (or better: P210) beats it. And center sticks…..

It wins by coolness alone



The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway

I am not impressed. Mooney redesigned their Ovation, with a lot of Chines money – but no chute. Now Diamond designs a completely new airplane, single engine, they could have done everything – but. No chute.

Performance and economy are „ok“, but the range isn’t.

And a bit ugly, but they all are.

Safe landings !
EDLN, Germany

Re: peter’s input on the marketing blurb quoting max speed and and max range without their corresponding numbers a quick calculation – consumption at max range is 9gph, capacity is 50 gallons, max range is 750nm (with reserves) so assume 45 gallons at 9 gallons per hour for 750nm =5 hours – 150knots speed at max range.
130 kgs – that is how much they need to cut out of this – add back 30kg for a parachute, 30kg for 10 gallons extra of fuel and the remaining 70kg to improve performance.

Once you crank the speed up to 170knots or so the range on this will drop down to 600nm – this is why why it needs extra fuel, and less empty weight, and without a parachute its entering into a high end single engine piston market with one hand tide behind its back.

50 USG tanks is indeed utterly bizzare – it is a joke. What complete “marketing moron” thought of that? I’ve only just noticed it.

The TB20 has 86 USG, for example, and could easily have had 100 if Socata had bothered to move the outermost (non-perforated) bulkhead one position further out.

Diesel has less energy than avgas so you need more of it, too.

That engine is not all that efficient in that big airframe. The TB20 does 150k TAS at some 10.5 USG/hr (FL100) so if the DA50 is burning 9 USG at that speed, that’s not much of an advantage.

I still think the rest of it is not bad. The Cirrus will eventually get crippled in Europe by 100LL issues, though it will likely take time. And Diamond sell their planes all over the world, and there is no 100LL in many places. The SR22 is also noisy in the cockpit – at the top end of the scale. A diesel is generally much quieter and that translates into reduced fatigue and better passenger acceptance.

Diamond cannot beat Cirrus – not possible today. They need to find other niches, and dominate those.

Appearance is largely subjective. For every person who thinks a Mooney, Bonanza, etc look good, there is another who thinks a DA40/42/62 looks good. And the latter group are the ones splashing out the cash

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom
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