Developed from the Dimona powered glider, the Diamond range now extends from a two place essentially training aircraft through to a four place twin and very soon a five place pressurised single.
In 2000, the DA40-180 Diamond Star was certified and entered production and in 2004 Diamond entered a partnership with Garmin to include the G1000 EFIS system as standard equipment in all DA40s.
With its ancestry firmly routed in the motorglider, the DA40 exhibits unsurpassed levels of aerodynamic performance and economy for the available horsepower. In this day an age of rising fuel costs, anything that reduces operation costs is more than welcome. It is distinguished by its longer than normal wingspan (12.04m) for an aircraft of this type.
For the individual private owner, Diamond introduced the DA40-180 XLS model. The XLS model has a few more creature comforts for the private owner as opposed to the CS model, which is an aircraft that is going to be used for cross-country and advanced single engine training in flying schools.
The DA40 model has even been chosen by the US Air Force for use as a trainer at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. The DA40 excelled in its take off and landing performance, considering the high altitude airfield.
The use of a high aspect ratio wing plan form coupled with a larger wing span compared to most of its competitor’s designs makes for low takeoff and landing speeds and correspondingly shorter takeoff and landing rolls.
Diamond’s commitment to safety is reflected in the detail of the DA40’s design. This is more like the care taken in designing a modern motor vehicle than what we’ve come to expect from the usual light aircraft manufacturers. The modern Diamond aircraft has a safety capsule style of cockpit/cabin more associated with a modern Formula 1 race car than the normal aluminium structure seen on most other light aircraft. The whole structure is stressed to withstand forces of up to 26G.
Occupant protection is the prime importance here. Design features include energy absorbing seats, airbag seatbelts that further absorb energy to minimise injury, ‘anti-submarine’ seats that prevent the occupants from sliding under the lap belt during decceleration, and the removal of all potential head strike protrusions.
To aid the strength of the seats, they are firmly attached to the structure and are not adjustable fore/aft like older designs. Instead the rudder pedals are adjustable, and not by some mechanical system but electrically. A small toggle switch located on the side wall just in front of each seat allows for easy adjustment. Even with my 189cm frame and long legs, I had no trouble achieving a comfortable position.
The centre overhead frame of the cabin is also re-enforced to prevent rollover collapse.
The location of the fuel tanks follows the similar design concepts being used in modern automotive design. The aluminium tank is located in crash proof areas of the fuselage just behind the cabin and between the dual spars of the wing and not in the impact prone leading edges of the wing. Coupled with this is the encasement of the fuel lines within a stainless steel braided covering like modern race cars.
A flying joy
That is enough of the boring safety bits, because it’s not worth it if it flies like a reinforced overweight aircraft with all that extra structure. But the contrary is true. The DA40 boasts a very fuel efficient, modern aerodynamic design using the latest in aerodynamic and materials technology.
My first impression as I approach the DA40 parked on Bankstown’s tarmac is that of a modern composite aircraft with a smooth flowing aerodynamic shape consisting of a high aspect glider-like wing with turned up semi-winglet tips, a stylish T tail and a forward hinged one-piece windscreen allowing for easy entry into the cockpit. Nothing like the usual suspects found on most GA ramps; the DA40 is from the future.
Under the close-fitting streamlined cowl sits a Lycoming IO-360-M1A power plant developing 180hp, coupled to a MT three-bladed composite constant speed propeller.
Control surfaces are in a normal configuration with three position trailing edge flaps, composite ailerons and high-mounted T tail with separate elevator with a centrally mounted trim tab. A small ventral fin is mounted under the rear fuselage to increase the tail area.
Entry into the cabin is from in front of the wing, by placing one’s left hand into the conveniently located grab handle on top of the instrument panel, placing your left foot on the step and swinging your right leg up around and into the forward floor area before resting back into the very comfortable leather upholstered seats. Shorter pilots might have to pause on the step area on the inboard wing.
To allow this, the whole one-piece windscreen hinges forward, taking the glare shield with it. Access to the rear seats is equally as easy. There is a single clamshell opening hatch above the left side.
Behind the cabin seat is a luggage compartment that is divided into two sections with a more secure stowage under a lift up panel for such things as tie downs, chocks and tow bar. A small lift out panel in the very rear of the compartment allows the carriage of longer items like those clubs for a weekend’s golf.
Settling into those leather seats, adjusting the rudder pedals with the toggle switch, I marvel at the array of blank screens in front of me; the power is off at this time. It looks and feels like an airborne version of any modern European luxury car with the attention to detail of finish, safety and ergonomics that you would expect.
The panel layout of the DA40 boasts the Garmin G1000 two screen EFIS. Above the G1000 is the ‘standby’ instruments that consist of an Attitude Indicator, ASI, Altimeter and magnetic compass. The right side of the panel holds the relevant circuit breakers. On both sides of the panel are large eye ball style adjustable air outlets. The forward windscreen/canopy also includes two inward-hinged windows that allow extra ventilation whilst on the ground.
The position of the front seats is ideal, being placed almost directly over the leading edge of the wing and thereby affording excellent visibility below the aircraft unlike a number of other low wing designs. Equally, the rear seat passengers aren’t forgotten either, as their seats are behind the trailing edge. Another advantage of the high aspect narrow chord wing design.
Selecting the battery switch on brings the screens alive and presents a wealth of information. Far more than many modern jet airliners have.
The left hand Primary Flight Display (PFD) screen displays an electronic attitude indicator above a compass display with vertical tape style displays for airspeed on the left, altitude and vertical speed on the right. Behind this symbology lays the Synthetic Terrain Display; a computerised view of the horizon and terrain ahead.
The right-hand screen displays a choice of information from an overall display of position over an electronic map, expanded engine instruments, checklists and maintenance information.
Each display screen is surrounded by a number of buttons aligned with menu options that were displayed alongside them on the LCD screen.
The centre console contains the usual quadrant style engine levers, full selector – left or right tank and the elevator trim wheel.
In the centre of each front seat is the control column; in this case like it’s glider heritage, a stick. On top of each is an autopilot disconnect button, a trim switch on the left-hand stick and a push to transmit switch on the front. The stick to me appears a little too short with my thighs and I find I fly it best by holding the top of the stick. Having flown high speed jets before, I find using my left hand to fly using the stick and right for the throttle a little different at first but soon find it not to be a problem.
Starting the Lycoming is pretty straight forward after closing the forward and rear canopies. A single red lever lock on the left side secures the forward canopy and a similar one for the rear.
After checking the relevant information, I begin to taxi towards Bankstown’s runway 29R. As the nosewheel is a castoring non-steerable type, the DA40 is steered using differential braking and a little extra power is required to compensate for the braking. However, I find that on a long straight taxiway, direction can be maintained using the rudder without resorting to the brakes.
After the obligatory run-up, the flaps are lowered to the T/O half position and we made our way to 29R. During the run up, we use the expanded engine instrument display on the right hand Multi Function Display (MFD), which gives us a complete readout of engine performance including EGT and cylinder head temp for each cylinder in graphical layout.
Subsequently this is reduced to a compacted display on the left side, giving over the majority of the screen to the electronic map.
Approaching the runway proves interesting because as we approach the holding point at 90 degrees to the runway direction, there in the background of the left-hand PFD is a computerised rendition of the runway disappearing off to our right. Lining up the DA40 on 29R and the runway slews around on the display as well. You could have almost commenced the takeoff without looking outside, it was so realistic and accurate.
Advancing the throttle, we easily manage the takeoff and a smooth rotate at 75kts. We conduct our initial climb out until we retract the flaps and accelerate to a cruise climb of 90kts at 24in and 2400rpm.
Climbing out into the Bankstown training area, the excellent visibility is a great advantage in sighting the traffic, most of which had already been highlighted to us by the Active Traffic System. Like the TCAS system in modern RPT aircraft, this displays the traffic to the pilot both in a plan form view on the MFD and in a view out the front form on the PFD where the symbology is larger the closer the traffic threat is.
As we progress west towards the Blue Mountains with a shallow descent, the synthetic terrain ahead on the PFD begin to change colour to yellow then red. A small plan view of our position in the lower left corner shows where the terrain that is higher than our flight path lay in azimuth. Eventually after not changing our flightpath, we receive a terrain warning voice alert and then a pull-up aural command. Very nice indeed, and another example of the capabilities of modern technologies to prevent those controlled flight into terrain (CFT) accidents.
Loading the RNAV Approach to Camden’s runway 06 displays a magenta line on the MFD showing the path loaded and a number of magenta boxes appear on the PFD through which we fly the aircraft. Each box grows larger as we approach it just like an early version of MS Flight Sim.
Each rectangular box displays the appropriate tracking tolerance laterally and vertically. Not being out done, we then couple the GFC700 Autopilot to it and it tracks the centre of each box. The DA40 handles very well considering the turbulence on the day. All we have to do is dial in the appropriate minimum descent altitudes on the approach, engage Vertical NAV and control the speed.
As we approach the runway, the Synthetic Terrain again displays Camden’s runway on the PFD. After breaking off from the approach, we climb back towards Bankstown. Joining the traffic pattern again is made easy by the traffic display on the MFD, which shows all the traffic and the relevant height differentials from us.
Slowing, or should I say attempting to slow on the downwind side of the circuit, is a little more difficult than I expected trying to get back to below 106kts to lower the first stage of flap. The landing flap position cannot be lowered until below 91kts. This is one slippery little aircraft!
We fly the approach at 75kts with glide path control easy to maintain to a slightly reduced power flare selecting idle when established in the flare. Again directional control is simple with the powerful rudder, without the need for differential braking.
Efficiency in spades
In all, the DA40 is a very efficient aircraft, a point ably exhibited when I later fly in a C172 camera aircraft and am easily overtaken by the DA40. They both have the same engine and horsepower available but the C172 was left sadly lagging. The DA40 easily cruises at 150kts TAS at 75 per cent power, burning 10 US g/hr. As a comparison with the C182T doing an average of 10 miles per gallon (mpg), the DA40 turns in 16 mpg.
Looking ahead, soon there will be a diesel version of the DA40 available that will deliver even better scales of fuel efficiency. Having had some troubles over the years with the previous diesel engines available, Diamond have entered a partnership with Mercedes and Bosch to develop the Turbo diesel Austro Engine AE 300 engine, which develops 170hp but burns less fuel than a C150 and on AVTUR.
For the future of Diamond aircraft, there is the new Lycoming and Austro diesel versions of the DA42 Twin Star on the way and the DA50 five seat pressurised single that will cruise at more than 200kts TAS.
With the impressive attention to detail, safety and finish, one would gather that the DA40 is a relatively expensive aircraft, but in fact the opposite is true. Compared to a similiarly equipped C182 - the aircraft that Diamond use for most performace comparisons - the DA40 as tested with the optional Synthetic Vision and Active Traffic options is quoted as US$357,895, compared to the C182 at US$384,500 or the Turbo C182 at US$418,000 (according to the Cessna web site).
The DA40 is certainly a breath of fresh air in the thinking of producing a fuel efficient, safe and economical single engine aircraft unlike anything else currently available.
Specifications
Engine: Lycoming IO-360-M1A
Horsepower: 180hp
Propeller: MT 3 Blade composite constant-speed
Airworthiness category: Normal and Utility
Length: 26ft5in/8.05m
Wing span: 39ft6in/12.04m
Maximum takeoff weight: 2645lbs/1199kg
Useful load: 860lbs/390kgs
Fuel capacity: 50 US gals/189 ltr
Fuel: AVGAS 100LL
Takeoff distance, ground roll: 1175ft/358m
Takeoff distance, 50ft obstacle: 1700ft/518m
Landing distance, ground roll: 1155ft/352m
Landing distance, 50ft obstacle: 2093ft/638m
Rate of climb: 1120ft/min
Maximum operating altitude: 16,400ft
Maximum speed: 157ktas
Cruise Speed @ 75 per cent: 150ktas
Stall speed, full flaps: 49kias
Maximum demonstrated crosswind: 20kts
Range @ 75 per cent 45 min reserve: 720nm
Range @55 per cent 45 min reserve: 785nm
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