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Diamond turboprop takes first flight

Diamond Aircraft’s DART-750 aerobatic trainer took its first flight at Diamond headquarters in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, on June 12.

Diamond’s DART-750 aerobatic trainer takes its first flight over Wiener Neustadt, Austria, on June 12. Photo courtesy of Diamond Aircraft.

The flight test, piloted by Diamond’s Head of Flight Test Sören Pedersen and Senior Test Pilot Niko Daroussis, lasted 30 minutes and covered all basic maneuvers, including performance and handling checks. Diamond said the aircraft met or exceeded all expectations.

The all-composite DART-750 will be powered by a 750 horsepower Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25C turboprop engine and features a Garmin 3000 avionics suite.

Diamond will be offering what they’re calling a DART Basic Training Solution that covers all phases of basic training like ground-based training systems, basic training in the aircraft, a proprietary DART Flight and Navigation Procedures Trainer II Simulator, and DART computer-based Training.

“This flight marks another major milestone in the DART-750 program and demonstrates the entire team’s hard and excellent work in getting it achieved. The positive results make us confident in moving forward with the program as intended,” said Robert Kremnitzer, Diamond’s head of design organization.

The DART-750 made its public debut at Paris Airshow 2023 and the company hopes to receive certification for the aircraft in 2024.

Niki Britton

eMedia Content Producer
eMedia Content Producer Niki Britton joined AOPA in 2021. She is a private pilot who enjoys flying her 1969 Cessna 182 and taking aerial photographs.
Topics: Turboprop, Advanced Training

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