AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2022 - 56

Electrically adjustable rudder/
brake assemblies let pilots
make fore and aft adjustments.
Diamond seats are attached to
two spars in the central spar box,
which fixes them in place and
gives them their crashworthiness.
Seats recline, however, and there
is adjustable lumbar support.
Overhead oxygen jacks let
occupants plug in their nasalcannula
oxygen lines (below).
Fresh air and lighting controls are
also provided.
With such a maxed-out airplane, I wondered
how sprightly the takeoff might be. There was
no need to worry.
up some true airspeed at altitude-but fuel
flow dropped to 12.7 gph. This was at an
OAT of minus 9 degrees Celsius/international
standard atmosphere minus 2
degrees C. Scherrer said that if we pulled
the power back to a long-range cruise,
50-percent load we'd see 142 KTAS on a
fuel burn of 8.8 gph
The Iridium datalink weather
(SiriusXM Aviation weather isn't available
in Europe) showed some yellow contours
at one point, and when we entered the
area, we saw the first traces of ice. By this
time, Wiener Neustadt East was near and
we were cleared for a descent. On the way
down to shoot the LNAV approach, all
the ice was shed and as we descended, we
went through snow, then rain as we left the
overcast at 5,000 feet.
A turn around a holding pattern at 100
was for layers up and beyond our filed 11,000-foot
cruise altitude. The freezing level was around 6,000
feet, and icing was definitely in the picture along the
entire route. Good thing we had the optional TKS
" weeping wing " ice protection system aboard; I used
the Garmin GFC 700 for pretty much the entire climb
and cruise, with one eye on the outside air temperature
(OAT) and the other on the cloud situation.
Luckily, we stayed between layers most of the time.
ATC had us level off at 8,000 feet for a while, so I
took some notes. Power was set to maximum continuous,
shown as the 90-percent limit on the load gauge
(there's no manifold pressure readout), and we saw
165 KTAS burning 15.3 gph. After levelling at 11,000
feet and setting the recommended power setting of a
75-percent load, we still saw 168 KTAS-having picked
56
AOPA PILOT / July 2022
knots, and it was down final at 80 knots
with gear down and landing flaps. A decent
flare, a low-impact touchdown, and we
were home-well, Diamond's home. Total
trip distance and time: 289 nautical miles
and one hour, 55 minutes. Fuel reserves on
landing: nine gallons, or 45 minutes' worth
of endurance.
The DA50 RG is presumably meant as a
challenger to high-performance piston singles
such as the Beechcraft Bonanza G36 or
Cirrus SR22, or as an upgrade option for
those owning older airplanes who yearn
for modern technology and edgy looks.
Whatever the appeal, Diamond is confident.
It expects 300 total sales in 2022,
rising to 500 aircraft in 2024, with a 50-50
split between private owners and fleet
operators such as flight schools.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2022

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