In enlarging the DA42 to make a five/seven-seater, Diamond has produced a super-efficient machine packed with fine detail design — and one that really performs too

Standing out on the ramp at Diamond’s base at Wiener Neustadt in Austria, the DA62 looks exactly what it is – a 21st Century aircraft. Company test pilot Niko Daroussis introduces me to the aircraft, and although it looks a lot like a DA42 TwinStar NG, it’s actually quite different, the biggest distinction being that the 62 can be certified with seven seats (personally, I would’ve called this version the 72). In fact, the DA62 will be offered as either a five- or seven-seater, with the seats in two-three, or two-three-two arrangement. The five-seater has a 1,999kg maximum all-up weight designed to avoid the Eurocontrol charges that apply to aircraft of two tonnes and over, and the seven-seater’s is 2,300kg – although overall dimensions, engine power etc will be common to both types. Even at a glance you can see that the standard of finish is extremely high, while the elegant, flowing lines are extremely attractive.

You can read the review of the DA62 in full in the June issue of Pilot. Click here to buy your copy of the magazine now.

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