The original Diamond DA42 Twin Star was introduced at the 2002 Berlin Airshow. It is a four-place, carbon-fiber constructed, light twin piston airplane.
The original DA42 is powered by two Thielert Centurion diesel engines designed to run on either Jet A or diesel fuel. In the U.S., Jet A fuel is used. Fuel consumption is about half that of Avgas-powered light twins of comparable weight.
After Thielert went bankrupt, Diamond aircraft needed to find an alternative engine for the diesel-powered aircraft. This led Diamond to develop their own diesel engine, the Austro AE 300 170hp turbo. Retrofit kits are available for the first generation Thielert-powered DA42 aircraft. The AE300 engine is based on a Mercedes-Benz automobile engine but, unlike the Thielerts, the AE 300 sticks with the stock Mercedes engine. The AE 300 has a full authority digital engine control (FADEC). Diamond is aiming for a 2,000 hour time between overhauls (TBO) with the AE 300.
Also available for the DA42 are 100LL-fueled Lycoming IO-360 engines providing 180 hp each. That variant is referred to as the DA42 L360.
The DA42 VI Twin Star comes equipped with dual controls and a Garmin 1000 glass cockpit.
