Step through a gull-wing door on a Diamond DA62 and you are in a cabin that Diamond Aircraft compares to an SUV, with room for up to seven seats. The manufacturer pitches the twin-engine plane as one that carries more passengers and gear farther and faster than anything else in its class.
These are Diamond’s own claims, drawn from the company’s product description, not independent test results.
Engines and airframe
Two Austro Engine AE330 units, each rated at 180 hp and controlled by FADEC, power the aircraft. They burn Jet A-1, which Diamond says is available worldwide and keeps fuel use low even with two engines. Each drives a three-blade MT hydraulic constant-speed propeller, and feathering is done with a single switch. Maximum takeoff mass is 2,300 kg.
The airframe is all carbon composite. Diamond says it is durable and easy to maintain, and that it gives occupants better protection in a crash. The company also points to a “FAILSAFE” airframe and wing design built on structural redundancy, with separate aluminum fuel tanks set between heavy protective spars. A TKS deicing system covers flight into known icing.
In the cockpit
Avionics center on the Garmin G1000 NXi, with two 10-inch displays, one for primary flight data and one multifunction. A GFC 700 autopilot with yaw damper, a GTX 345R ADS-B in and out transponder, synthetic vision and Garmin’s Electronic Stability and Protection round out the package. A traffic advisory system and a keypad for programming the G1000 are optional.
Business use and upkeep
Diamond markets the DA62 for charter and corporate travel as well as private owners. It says the aircraft can operate from short runways and grass strips, which opens up smaller airports closer to a final destination.
For maintenance, the company offers PistonPower, which it describes as general aviation’s first hourly-cost program for piston aircraft, meant to make servicing costs predictable.
The DA62 won the 2016 fliegermagazin Award for best new airplane, presented at AERO Friedrichshafen. It also carries a German Design Award, whose jury called it a high-performance touring plane with “more than the usual space and comfort for its size.”
