Continental Aerospace last week announced a new partnership with Diamond Aircraft that will equip the single-engine DA50 with a 300 hp, Jet-A fueled CD-300 engine. The CD-300, specifically designed for high performance, luxury piston powered aircraft and certified in December 2017, is the third platform in Continental’s Jet-A fueled piston engine lineup. The engine produces 300 HP while sipping just 9.2 U.S. gallons per hour at a quiet 2,300 RPM. “After careful consideration, we determined the CD-300 engine aligns with Diamond’s jet fuel philosophy and is a suitable solution for our DA50 platform,” said Liqun (Frank) Zhang, CEO of Diamond Aircraft lndustries GmbH.
The program has already reached a significant milestone when the first flight of the development aircraft took place on March 22, 2019. The program now moves on to the detailed integration work necessary to create the seamless flying experience made possible by the integration of the DA 50’s advanced avionics with the CD-300’s dual redundant FADEC.
“Matching the CD-300 Jet-A engine with the new DA50 aircraft is a rekindling of the relationship that created the original successful Jet-A piston-powered aircraft.”, said Rhett Ross, President and CEO, Continental Aerospace Technologies.
