Jet-Fuel-Burning Non-Jet

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will renew the multi-engine training fleet of its Daytona Beach, Florida campus with one-dozen Diamond’s DA42-VI aircraft.

Slated for 2024 deliveries, the Embry-Riddle’s new DA42-VI are powered, notably, by Austro Engine’s jet-fuel piston powerplants.

Dr. Ken Byrnes, Embry-Riddle assistant dean and Flight chair of Aeronautical Science, stated: "We are excited to extend our long-term use of Diamond DA42 Aircraft.”

Dr. Byrnes added: “Diamond’s commitment to the safety, quality and technological advancement of their aircraft align perfectly with our core values."

Diamond Aircraft Canada head of aircraft sales and marketing Trevor Mustard set forth: “We are honored to further strengthen our longstanding relationship with Embry-Riddle, which has been at the leading-edge of aeronautical training for decades. The DA42-VI—with an all-composite design, proprietary environmentally-friendly and efficient jet-fuel piston-engines as well as Garmin G1000 NXi glass cockpits—are a perfect fit for them.”

The four-seat, twin-engine DA42-VI is the most recent iteration of Diamond’s DA42 family of twin-piston-engine aircraft.  The model features an all-composite airframe and Garmin’s G1000 NXi avionics suite with 3-axis Automatic Flight Control System and optional electrically-powered air conditioning. The DA42-VI is powered by a pair of Austro Engine AE3t00 jet-fuel-burning piston engines, each outputting a maximum of 170-horsepower. The powerplants are mated to MT 3-blade, constant-speed propellers.

The DA42-VI’s performance is excellent—for a light piston-twin airplane. At its 4,407-pound Maximum Gross Takeoff Weight (MGTOW) the aircraft retains a 1,298-pound useful load comprising 76.4-gallons (519.52-pounds) of Jet-A. So loaded and fueled, the DA42-VI’s advertised range is 1,273-nautical-miles at its economy (sixty-percent-power) cruise speed of 152-knots. The airplane’s maximum speed is 188-knots; its dual and single-engine service-ceilings are FL180 and 16,000-feet respectively. At the low-end of its performance envelope, the DA42-VI acquits itself admirably with a Vso stall-speed of docile 62-knots. Vmc—a critical metric denoting the minimum speed at which the DA42-VI remains controllable with its critical-engine inoperative—is a reasonable 71-knots.

With north of 1,100 specimens delivered since its 2004 introduction, the DA42, in all its variants, has outsold all other certified piston twins combined. The machine, by dint of its performance, utility, and ability to transition between twin and single-engine flight without excessive shock-cooling of the throttled-back engine, has proved a safe, robust, and reliable multi-engine training platform.

The DA42-VI occasions fuel savings of up to fifty-percent over conventional AVGAS powered twins and its panoramic canopy—a boon in busy flight-training environments—affords excellent visibility throughout all flight maneuvers.

Founded in 1926 as a regional school for pilots and aircraft mechanics, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University currently serves more than 32,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The private university’s main campuses—located in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona—are supplemented by online programs and satellite locations. 

FMI: www.embryriddle.edu