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On June 12, Diamond Aircraft’s two-seat DART-750 aerobatic trainer took to the skies for its inaugural flight at Diamond’s headquarters in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
Piloted by Diamond’s head of flight test, Sören Pedersen, and senior test pilot, Niko Daroussis, the maiden flight lasted 30 minutes and involved a series of maneuvers to assess performance and handling. According to Diamond, the aircraft performed flawlessly, surpassing all expectations.
“This flight marks another major milestone in the DART-750 program and demonstrates the entire team’s hard and excellent work in getting it achieved,” said Robert Kremnitzer, Diamond’s head of design organization. “The positive results make us confident in moving forward with the program as intended.”
The all-composite DART-750 will be a certified civil aerobatic turboprop trainer, with a tandem seat configuration and Garmin G3000 avionics. The aircraft can reach a max cruise speed of 265 knots, has an endurance of approximately three-and-a-half hours, and a load factor of -4 to +6. Powering the aircraft is the 750-shaft-horsepower Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) PT6A-25C turboprop engine.
Diamond Aircraft confirmed the selection of the PT6A-25C engine for the DART-750 in January 2022. The PT6A turboprop engine has continually undergone enhancements, with over 120 updates implemented in the past decade alone. (The P&WC fleet, which includes the PT6 engine series, is on the verge of reaching an impressive milestone of one billion flying hours, with over 52,000 engines produced.)
Alongside the upgraded engine installation, the DART-750 boasts various system upgrades.
The cockpit features a fully independent tandem G3000 dual glass display, offering an exceptional surround view canopy. The Garmin G3000 avionics system includes touchscreen controls, 14.1-inch diagonal WXGA high-resolution cockpit displays, 5.7-inch high-resolution GTC 575, Synthetic Vision Technology, and an extended 16:9 width-to-height ratio.
Diamond Aircraft has also introduced the DART Basic Training Solution, comprising the aircraft, a proprietary DART FNPT II simulator, and DART computer-based training experience. The training solution covers all phases of basic training, including ground-based training systems and basic trainer aircraft.
The DART-750 simulator replicates the real aircraft, incorporating high-fidelity flight model software specific to the DART-750. The instructor operating station (IOS) immerses the flight instructor inside the cabin, providing complete control over the training session. The IOS software offers flight instructors intuitive operations, mirroring the capabilities found in full flight simulators. This approach allows students to focus on skill and technique development, ranging from basic to aerobatic flight, Diamond said.
The public will be able to view the DART-750 trainer at this year’s Paris Air Show, held from June 19 to 25 at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in France. Diamond is anticipating basic European Union Aviation Safety Agency certification in 2024.
