Diamonds are for Africa...

Founded in 1981, Diamond Aircraft Industries is today among the leading aircraft manufacturers in general aviation. Headquartered in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, with facilities in Canada and China the company has 1,500 employees worldwide.

Today, Diamond offers a range of certified piston aircraft models, from the two-seat single DA20 to the stunning seven seat DA62. With its complete line of piston aircraft including a dedicated flight training concept with single-engine piston (DA40 NG, DA40 XLT) and multi-engine piston (DA42-VI) trainers, the soon to be certified aerobatic turboprop tandem trainer DART along with type-specific flight training simulators and proprietary engines, Diamond Aircraft is the leading provider in the training fleet market.

Diamond Aircraft also made a footprint in the special mission market with the remote-sensing turnkey solutions DA42 MPP and DA62 MPP. Additionally, the company is currently developing the eDA40, an all-electric training aircraft, which will be certified in the near future.

More than 5,500 Diamond aircraft are flown by private pilots, professional flight training operators and institutions worldwide.

Captain Solomon Gizaw, agent for Diamond Aircraft Industries in East Africa, says Diamond Aircraft are made from carbon composite material that makes them much lighter than their contemporaries. Diamond Aircraft has a unique diesel Austro engine which is manufactured by Diamond Aircraft Industries. It is also powered by JetA1.

Abyssinia Flight School, owned by Gizaw operates Diamond trainer aircraft powered by JetA1. “In our case we use JetA1 for safety and quality reasons. Avgas is not available in many countries and it is expensive. JetA1 is available in every airport,” Gizaw said.

“In Ethiopia’s situation you can save up to 75 per cent of your fuel cost if you utilise JetA1 instead of avgas. You pay around five dollars for a litre of Avgas while a litre of JetA1 costs only 1.50 USD.”   

According to Gizaw, the unique feature of the new-generation Diamond Aircraft is that they have the state-of-the-art Garmin 1000 avionics. “They have the latest flight software that makes flying a simple task. These aircraft have ADSB that helps you locate other aircraft near you and avoid a mid-air collision,” he said.

“Diamond trainer aircraft have a glass cockpit and the pilot will not be a stranger to a glass cockpit when he moves up to larger aircraft. The new-generation Diamond aircraft are more powerful and they are technologically advanced. They are small aircraft with a big purpose,” he added.    

Gizaw claims that the safety, reliability and lower operational cost make Diamond the preferred choice for pilot training schools.

He said that Diamond Aircraft Industries is committed to serving Africa adding that the company has forged a strong partnership with Ethiopian Airlines. “Some 16 years ago we flew a Diamond trainer aircraft all the way from Austria to Addis Ababa as a demonstration. Since then, Ethiopian Airlines has imported more than 50 Diamond aircraft -DA40 G type and DA42 G type.”

Addis Ababa is a very high elevation airport at 7,626 feet. Gizaw said that the Diamond aircraft have a turbo charger that helps them maintain full power. “At 12,000 feet you don’t lose any power as you climb.

“It climbs fast and it has a faster cruise speed. It is worth noting that you are burning only 20 litres of JET A1 per hour as opposed to other similar aircraft which are burning about 42-45 litres of avgas fuel per hour. So you are burning less than 50 per cent of comparable airplanes and paying about 30 per cent of the cost.”

Diamond Aircraft Industries has been striving to establish partnerships with flight schools in Africa. According to Gizaw, most African flight schools operate older generation aircraft, purchased with cheap prices. He believes that it is a high time for these schools to replace their ageing trainer aircraft, which are costly to operate as they utilise avgas.

Diamond special mission aircraft are also becoming popular in Africa. The company manufactures DA42 twin engine and the DA62 special mission aircraft. The DA62 is a much larger aircraft with more room for all kinds of gears for surveying and surveillance missions. A number of African countries including Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda are operating Diamond aircraft.

“Diamond is striving to have a big portion of the African market,” Gizaw said. “They want to go as far as establishing an assembly plant in Africa. They want be close to the continent and make the aircraft readily available with a better price. We may see some kind of new developments in a short period of time.”