Diamond DA40
Unanswered Questions
Encyclopedia
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n four-seat, single engine, light aircraft
Light aircraft
A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross take-off weight of or less.Many aircraft used commercially for freight, sightseeing, photography and scheduled flights are light aircraft.Examples of light aircraft include:...
constructed from composite material
Composite material
Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...
s. Built in both Austria and Canada, it was developed as a four-seat version of the earlier DA20
Diamond DA20
The Diamond DA20 is a two-seat tricycle gear general aviation aircraft designed for flight training. In addition to its role as a civil and military training aircraft, it is also used for personal flying by pilot-owners.-Development:...
by Diamond Aircraft Industries
Diamond Aircraft Industries
Diamond Aircraft Industries is an Austrian-based manufacturer of general aviation aircraft and motor gliders, which also has a large manufacturing facility in London, Ontario, Canada...
.
Design and development
Based on the success of the earlier DA20Diamond DA20
The Diamond DA20 is a two-seat tricycle gear general aviation aircraft designed for flight training. In addition to its role as a civil and military training aircraft, it is also used for personal flying by pilot-owners.-Development:...
two-seat aircraft, the company designed a four-seat variant, the DA40. The DA40 is a four-seat low-wing cantilever monoplane made from composite materials. It has a fixed nose-wheel landing gear and a T-tail. The Rotax 914
Rotax 914
-References:*...
powered prototype DA40-V1, registered OE-VPC, first flew on the 5 November 1997 and was followed by a second prototype DA40-V2 (registered OE-VPE) which was powered by a Continental IO-240. In 1998 a third prototype DA40-V3 flew powered by a Lycoming IO-360 engine. Four more test aircraft were produced followed with the first production aircraft in 2000. JAR23 certification of the IO-360 production variant was obtained in October 2000. In 2002 the production of the Lycoming engined variant was moved to Canada and the Austrian factory concentrated on diesel-engined variants.
The DA40 has only officially appeared in three versions, the DA 40, DA 40D and DA 40F, as documented on its type certificates. The various model names that the aircraft has been sold under are marketing names and are not officially recognized by the authorities that have certified the aircraft.
The DA40 was initially marketed as the DA40-180, powered by a fuel injected Textron Lycoming IO-360 M1A engine.
In late 2006, the XL and FP models replaced the DA40-180. The FP replaced the fixed-pitch propeller version of the 180 and the XL replaced the constant-speed propeller version. The major difference between the new models and the 180 is the higher maximum cruise speeds. The DA40-XL is approximately four knots faster than the preceding DA40-180/G1000 with the two-blade Hartzell propeller and the "Speed Gear" option. The XL's speed increase is mostly due to the Powerflow exhaust system.
The DA40-XL has a constant-speed propeller and is powered by a 180 hp Lycoming IO-360-M1A fuel injected engine. It has a maximum cruise speed of 147 knots
True airspeed
True airspeed of an aircraft is the speed of the aircraft relative to the airmass in which it is flying. True airspeed is important information for accurate navigation of an aircraft.-Performance:...
, burning 9.2 gallons of Avgas
Avgas
Avgas is an aviation fuel used to power piston-engine aircraft. Avgas is distinguished from mogas , which is the everyday gasoline used in cars and some non-commercial light aircraft...
per hour. Its maximum takeoff
Takeoff
Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle goes from the ground to flying in the air.For horizontal takeoff aircraft this usually involves starting with a transition from moving along the ground on a runway. For balloons, helicopters and some specialized fixed-wing aircraft , no...
weight is 2,535 lb (1,150 kg).
The DA40-F (marketed as the "FP") has a fixed-pitch propeller, a 180 hp Lycoming O-360-A4M engine, which has a carburettor rather than fuel injection and a more basic interior, but is otherwise similar to the XL.
The DA40-TDI uses a Thielert
Thielert
Thielert AG is a German financial holding company which has owned engine development and manufacturing companies. It is headquartered in Hamburg. Companies owned were Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH with sites in Lichtenstein, Saxony and Altenburg, Thuringia and Superior Air Parts, Inc. in Dallas,...
"Centurion" 135 hp diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
and burns diesel or jet fuel
Jet fuel
Jet fuel is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is clear to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial aviation are Jet A and Jet A-1 which are produced to a standardized international specification...
. It has a constant speed propeller and FADEC
FADEC
Full Authority Digital Engine Control is a system consisting of a digital computer, called an electronic engine controller or engine control unit , and its related accessories that control all aspects of aircraft engine performance...
(single lever) engine control. The first flight of the DA40D was made on Nov. 28, 2002. This model is not certified in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Efforts to increase the DA40's cruising speed centered on the propeller and wheel spats. The wheel fairing streamlining was improved, a three-blade scimitar-type constant-speed propeller was incorporated and the Powerflow exhaust system from the XL was retained. The canopy contour was also revised, with the sides being more vertical before curving into the roof, which provides more shoulder and head room.
In the last half of 2007 the company updated the DA40 line by introducing the XLS and CS versions and eliminated the FP model. The XLS is the deluxe version, with the integration of some options into the standard offering including a Powerflow tuned exhaust, WAAS-capable G1000, GDL69 datalink, and TAS traffic alert system. The CS is the budget version, with fewer standard features.
Both CS and XLS versions of the DA40 use the Lycoming IO-360-M1A fuel injected engine. The major difference is the choice of propeller, with the CS using a Hartzell two-blade aluminum constant speed prop and the XLS using an MT composite three-blade unit.
Pilot and passengers enter the DA40 via the leading edge of the wing, an unusual feature among low-wing aircraft. The aircraft's nosewheel is free-castoring and directional control while taxiing
Taxiing
Taxiing refers to the movement of an aircraft on the ground, under its own power, in contrast to towing or push-back where the aircraft is moved by a tug...
is by mainwheel differential braking.
DA40s are produced at Diamond's aircraft factories in Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt
-Main sights:* The Late-Romanesque Dom, consecrated in 1279 and cathedral from 1469 to 1785. The choir and transept, in Gothic style, are from the 14th century. In the late 15th century 12 statues of the Apostles were added in the apse, while the bust of Cardinal Melchior Klesl is attributed to...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and in London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. A joint venture has also been set up in China with Shandong Bin Ao Aircraft Industries
Shandong Bin Ao Aircraft Industries
Shandong Bin Ao Aircraft Industries Co., Ltd. is located in the Dagao Town, Zhanhua County, Binzhou City, Shandong province, China.-History:The company was founded in 2008...
for production of the DA40 in Shandong Province. Capacity is available for up to 1,000 aircraft a year to be produced with certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency
European Aviation Safety Agency
The European Aviation Safety Agency is an agency of the European Union with offices in Cologne, Germany, which has been given regulatory and executive tasks in the field of civilian aviation safety. It was created on 15 July 2002, and it reached full functionality in 2008, taking over functions...
in 2008.
Past DA40 models were available with either traditional mechanical instruments or an optional Garmin G1000
Garmin G1000
The Garmin G1000 is an integrated flight instrument system manufactured by Garmin typically composed of two display units, one serving as a primary flight display, and one as a multi-function display...
glass cockpit suite. Current production DA40s are built only with the Garmin G1000 as standard equipment. In April 2008, Diamond introduced the optional availability of Garmin Synthetic Vision Technology on the DA40 XLS.
Operational history
The DA40 has accumulated a very low accident record, particularly with regard to stallStall (flight)
In fluid dynamics, a stall is a reduction in the lift coefficient generated by a foil as angle of attack increases. This occurs when the critical angle of attack of the foil is exceeded...
and spin
Spin (flight)
In aviation, a spin is an aggravated stall resulting in autorotation about the spin axis wherein the aircraft follows a corkscrew downward path. Spins can be entered intentionally or unintentionally, from any flight attitude and from practically any airspeed—all that is required is sufficient yaw...
accidents. Its overall and fatal accident rates are one eighth that of the general aviation fleet and include no stall-related accidents. The level of safe operation is attributed to its high aspect ratio
Aspect ratio (wing)
In aerodynamics, the aspect ratio of a wing is essentially the ratio of its length to its breadth . A high aspect ratio indicates long, narrow wings, whereas a low aspect ratio indicates short, stubby wings....
wing, low wing loading
Wing loading
In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. The faster an aircraft flies, the more lift is produced by each unit area of wing, so a smaller wing can carry the same weight in level flight, operating at a higher wing loading. Correspondingly,...
and benign flight characteristics. The aircraft can be trimmed full nose up, engine set to idle and it will descend at 600-1200 feet per minute at 48 kn (94 km/h) hands-off, a lower rate of decent than the competitive Cirrus SR22
Cirrus SR22
The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine, four-seat, composite aircraft, built by Cirrus Aircraft starting in 2001. It is a more powerful version of the Cirrus SR20, with a larger wing, higher fuel capacity, and a 310 horsepower engine...
can achieve with its airframe ballistic parachute
Ballistic parachute
A ballistic parachute, ballistic reserve parachute, or emergency ballistic reserve parachute is a parachute ejected from the casing via a small explosion*, much like that used in an ejection seat. *Also there are slug fired systems, mortar fired systems, , & A.I.R. rocket systems...
deployed.
Variants
DA 40- Initial model, powered by a Textron Lycoming IO-360 M1A 180 hp (135 kW) engine and a MT Propellers MTV-12-B/180-17. Maximum gross weight is 1150 kg (2535 lb) or 1200 kg (2646 lb) with modifications installed. In increasingly refined versions marketed as the DA40-180, XL, CS and XLS.
DA 40D
- Diesel model, powered by a ThielertThielertThielert AG is a German financial holding company which has owned engine development and manufacturing companies. It is headquartered in Hamburg. Companies owned were Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH with sites in Lichtenstein, Saxony and Altenburg, Thuringia and Superior Air Parts, Inc. in Dallas,...
TAE 125-01 (Centurion 1.7) or TAE 125-02-99 (Centurion 2.0) engine of 135 hp (101 kW) and MT Propellers MTV-6-A/187-129. Maximum gross weight is 1150 kg (2535 lb). Marketed primarily in Europe, although certified in Canada and Australia as well, as the DA40 TDI.
DA 40F
- Fixed pitch propeller model, powered by Textron Lycoming O-360-A4M and a Sensenich 6EM8S10-0-63 or a Mühlbauer MT 188R135-4G propeller. Maximum gross weight is 1150 kg (2535 lb). Marketed as the DA40 FP. This model is no longer offered.
T-52A
- Military trainer version, 20 acquired in 2009 and used by the 557th Flying Training Squadron557th Flying Training SquadronThe 557th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 306th Flying Training Group based at United States Air Force Academy, Colorado.-History:...
at USAFA The type will be replaced in 2012 with the Cirrus SR20Cirrus SR20The Cirrus Design SR20 is a piston engine composite monoplane that seats four. The SR20 is noted for being the first production general aviation aircraft equipped with a parachute designed to lower the aircraft safely to the ground after loss of control or structural failure.-Design and...
-based T-53A.
Civil
The aircraft is popular with flying schools and is operated by private individuals and companies.Military
Bolivia
- Bolivian Air ForceBolivian Air ForceThe Bolivian Air Force is part of the Military of Bolivia.-History:By 1938 the Bolivian air force consisted of about 60 aircraft , and about 300 staff; the officers were...
- 9 for basic flight training.
- Jamaica Military Aviation School - 2
- United States Air Force AcademyUnited States Air Force AcademyThe United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
- 20
- Singapore Youth Flying ClubSingapore Youth Flying ClubThe Singapore Youth Flying Club , headquartered at Seletar Airport, was established in December 1971 as the Junior Flying Club the then newly formed Singapore Armed Forces to introduce aviation and provide flight training to the youth of Singapore...
- 13