When Piper morphed the Apache into the Aztec in 1960, it was a precursor of sorts for an idea yet to be invented: the minivan. You could say the same of the Seneca, but whichever analogy appeals, Diamond Aircraft’s new DA52 VII goes to the same place. It’s meant to be a people or thing hauler capable of high cruise speeds, but with a fuel economy and speed Piper could only dream about.
But the minivan comparison goes just so far, for the DA52, when certified sometime next year, will be an expensive ride. A price a bit north of a million dollars puts it in the rarefied league of Beechcraft’s still-viable Baron, albeit the DA52 is an airplane with seven seats. Powered by the latest version of the Austro AE300 Jet-A burning engine at 180 HP per side, the DA52 represents Diamond’s most ambitious piston-engine aircraft yet and one pitched at what may be a smaller niche market than the DA42 found.