Diamond has restarted production of its DA20-C1 primary training aircraft. This time around, new DA20s are equipped with a G500TXi avionics suite. The aircraft is still powered by a 125HP Continental IO-240 engine. In a Diamond news release, the company said, “The DA20 was originally introduced in 1992 and exists in two variants, is certified as a utility category aircraft and is popularly used for primary training with the ability to do spin training. With nearly 7,000,000 flight hours across the DA20 fleet in the world, it is a high-utilization aircraft, with unlimited lifetime on the airframe and unparalleled value retention.” The first brand new 2020 DA20-C1s were delivered in August 2020. The company said it’s now taking new orders for delivery in 2021.
About the G500 TXi, Garmin’s website says it “can serve as part of a multi-display system or as a dedicated stand-alone PFD, MFD or EIS display. For single-engine piston aircraft, there’s a combined EIS/MFD split-screen configuration with detailed moving map display. The PFD format includes an HSI mapping feature, allowing an MFD-like perspective map display to be viewed together with directional and attitude information.”
Scott McFadzean, CEO of Diamond Aircraft Industries Inc. said, “We are excited to re-introduce the brand new DA20-C1. Our innovative DNA is of course incorporated into the new aircraft, which showcases the latest Garmin avionics.” Retail price for US orders for a standard-equipped DA20-C1 start at $279,800.
