First Flight Expected In August

On Friday, July 20, 2007 Diamond Aircraft celebrated the roll out of its second single-engine D-Jet, S/N002.  S/N002 is the first D-Jet intended to conform to the expected production configuration in its structural layout, and aerodynamic design.

From the photos, the most obvious differences between the two aircraft are the lack of winglets on S/N002, as well as deicing surfaces on the leading edges of the wing, and horizontal and vertical stabilizers. The production-spec aircraft also incorporates a pair of small stablizers on the underside of the empennage, added to the prototype during flight testing, as well as what appears to be an aluminum-framed forward windscreen.

The D-Jet team is now preparing S/N002 for first flight next month, while simultaneously building the next three certification test planes on the same production-spec tooling used for S/N002.

The most obvious differences between the two aircraft are the lack of winglets on S/N002, as well as a larger windshield on the production-spec aircraft.

Diamond expects to certify the D-Jet by in mid-2008, with deliveries starting immediately thereafter.

The London, Ontario planemaker reports demand for the D-Jet has been very strong, with over 300 orders taken world-wide. The North American retail delivery schedule is completely sold out for the first year and a half of production, with only a very limited number of Premium deposit slots available for late 2009 delivery from select Diamond Distributors.

FMI: www.diamondair.com