The Economics of DiamondShare

Stephen Pope

Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 07:20 PM ET

Verified

The Diamond DA40 XLS I fly, in its hangar at KCDW.

Key Takeaways:

DiamondShare is an innovative aircraft ownership model designed to make owning and accessing modern aircraft more financially viable for owners and attractive for users.
Members lease blocks of flight hours (e.g., 100 hours/year for $995/month) in new Diamond DA40 XLS aircraft, with a fixed monthly fee covering most operational costs like maintenance, hangar, and insurance.
The program offers significant advantages over traditional rentals or flying clubs, including access to brand-new, hangared aircraft with advanced avionics, easier scheduling, and comprehensive insurance.
It creates a "win-win" scenario by offsetting ownership costs for aircraft buyers and providing members with a premium flying experience, combining many benefits of ownership without its full drawbacks.

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As many of you already know, I recently started flying a new Diamond DA40 XLS as one of the inaugural “members” to sign up with DiamondShare, a new concept in aircraft ownership that is seeking to dramatically alter the economic equation for buyers.

I first heard about DiamondShare last summer at the Oshkosh Airshow. My dad and I had been kicking the tires of some of the airplanes we liked, including the new diesel 182 at the Cessna exhibit, the sleek Icon Aircraft A5 sport amphibian, and one of my dad’s favorite airplanes, the Maule M-9-235 taildragger. Next, I suggested we head over to the Diamond Aircraft exhibit to have a look at the DA40, one of my favorites.