Aircraft

Introduction

The Diamond DA40 Diamond Star is an Austrian four-seat, single-engine, light aircraft constructed from composite materials. Built-in both Austria and Canada, it was developed as a four-seat version of the earlier DA20 by Diamond Aircraft Industries.JAR23 certification of the IO-360 production variant was obtained in October 2000. In 2002 the production of the Lycoming-engined variant was moved to Canada and the Austrian factory concentrated on diesel-engined variants. The first flight of the Diesel DA40D was made on 28 November 2002.

The DA40-TDI uses a Thielert “Centurion” 135 hp (101 kW) diesel engine and burns diesel or jet fuel. It has a constant-speed propeller and FADEC (single lever) engine control. View the DA40 TDI factsheet

Visit the EASA website for the type-certificate datasheet.

You can view more about the Diamond DA40 on the Diamond Aircraft website

PROPULSION

G-ZANY was originally fitted with a Centurion 1.7 – Continental CD-135 (TAE 125-01) as standard. The first product introduced by Thielert, a 1689 cm³ (103 in³) engine producing 135 PS (99 kW) is an inline-four engine based on the Mercedes-Benz OM668 from Mercedes-Benz A-Class A 170 CDI (W168) with 80 mm bore and 84 mm stroke.

The engine produces more power than a Lycoming O-320 above 4,000 ft, can maintain 93 kW (125 hp) till FL120, and burns 17.5 L/h (4.6 US gal/h) in cruise at FL175 for 72 kW (97 hp): 0.194 kg/kWh (0.319 lb/(hp⋅h)).  More than 1,500 Centurion 1.7s had been built until the end of 2006 when it was replaced by the Centurion 2.0.

The Centurion 2.0 (TAE 125-02-99) was introduced in late 2006. The main difference is a new Mercedes-Benz OM640 engine cylinder block from the Mercedes-Benz A 200 CDI (W169) with a displacement of 1991 cm3 (Ø83 x 92 mm). Other improvements include a more compact FADEC, a lighter cast gearbox housing, interfaces for glass cockpits and a new service tool that allows the FADEC to be programmed in the field.

Dimensions of the Centurion 2.0 and 1.7 are nearly identical and the install kits are compatible, so a 1.7 at the end of its life can be replaced with a 2.0. The Centurion 2.0 is rated for a power output of 135 PS (99 kW), the same as the 1.7, but is EASA and FAA certified for 155 PS (114 kW). It has accumulated more than 1,000,000 flight hours without mechanical failures as of April 2008.

You can view more about the current engine G-ZANY uses on the EASA website under the type-certificate data sheet.

The aircraft features an MT-PROPELLER MTV-6-A/187-129.  MT-Propeller Entwicklung GmbH, founded in 1980 by Gerd Muehlbauer, is a manufacturer of composite propellers for single and twin-engine aircraft, airships, wind tunnels and other special applications.

The propellor designation system means the following; MTV-6-A/187-129. –

Hub – 1) MT‐Propeller Entwicklung GmbH 2) Variable pitch propeller 3) Identification of propeller type 4) Letter code for flange type (A = Bolt circle diameter 80 mm, 7/16 inch bolts)

Blade – 3) Propeller diameter in cm (187) 4) Identification of blade design (129)

You can view more on the EASA website under the type-certificate data sheet.

TRACKING DIAMOND DA40 – GZANY

Whilst I fly quite regularly, I am not the only pilot in the group and it’s very unlikely every flight would be me.  I do publish a fairly accurate schedule based on my work/life situation and is regularly updated.

You can then track the aircraft live by visiting FlightRadar24 or the equivalent ADSB Exchange. The aircraft will only appear if it’s airborne or being tracked by multiple ADSB receivers on the internet.

A list of flights I have flown is currently a work in progress…