Although piston aircraft sales are mostly in the tank, Diamond Aircraft came to the Aero show in Germany this past spring announcing not one, but three new single-engine piston models to be designated the DA50. It has its competitive sights directly on Cirrus.
To compete against Cirrus’ top-selling SR22T, the DA50-VII will be equipped with a FADEC-driven 380-HP Lycoming TEO-540 six-cylinder engine and retractable landing gear. Recognizing lost sales contracts in the training market to Cirrus’ SR20, the new fixed-gear DA50-IV will be a four-place model powered by the Safran/SMA SR305-230E four-cylinder diesel. Last, the DA50-V will be a five-seat version (utilizing a wide bench seat behind the two front seats) powered by the 260-HP Safran/SMA SR305 diesel.