By Dayna Fedy-MacDonald | July 25, 2023 Estimated reading time 4 minutes, 19 seconds.
During this year’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in, Diamond Aircraft on July 25 announced that it has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification for its highly anticipated DA50 RG single-engine piston aircraft with retractable gear.
The certification clears the way for U.S. customer deliveries, which the OEM said will begin immediately following the show. The company noted that the DA50 RG has “already been ordered by many U.S. customers.”
FAA certification comes just under three years after the DA50 RG received European Union Aviation Safety Agency certification (in September 2020). Now, Diamond Aircraft — which is headquartered in Austria with a facility in London, Ontario, Canada — awaits Canadian certification from Transport Canada.
During its FAA certification announcement, Diamond — together with one of its U.S. dealers, Premier Aircraft Sales — officially delivered a DA50 RG to the first U.S. customer, Jordan Cram.
“The DA50 RG is a perfect match for sustainability, performance, and design requirements,” said Cram. “The excellent fuel economy combined with jet fuel made me feel better about carbon impact, and the balance of function and form is just unparalleled. We’re going to be up in the air a lot.”
Liqun (Frank) Zhang, CEO of Diamond Aircraft Group and Diamond Aircraft Austria, made a point to congratulate “Continental Aerospace Technology on receiving FAA certification for the CD-300” FADEC-controlled jet fuel engine, which powers the DA50 RG.
“[The] combination of [the aircraft’s] cabin size, utility, performance and efficiency paired with environmentally friendly jet fuel engines make it an ideal aircraft for the U.S. market,” added Zhang.
The five-seat DA50 RG is capable of flying up to 181 knots true airspeed, with a maximum range of 750 nautical miles, and max operating altitude of 20,000 feet. (Click to see full technical specifications.)
The aircraft, which made its North American public debut during EAA AirVenture 2021, has been touring the U.S. since May of this year, giving pilots the opportunity to experience its cabin volume, fuel efficiency, performance, and “simplicity of operation.” The DA50 RG tour will continue until the end of September, Diamond confirmed.
EAA AirVenture showgoers can visit the Diamond Aircraft “experience area” at booth #9, near the main admission gates on James Ray Blvd.
