Prague, CZ – On 4 December 2020, Diamond Aircraft’s DART-550 performed its first flight with the new fully aerobatic GE Aviation H75-A engine at Wiener Neustadt East Airport (LOAN) in Austria.
This new turboprop engine is the first aerobatic engine developed by GE Aviation at its Turboprop headquarters in the Czech Republic to provide 550shp for the next generation of aerobatic turboprop training aircraft. After an extensive testing campaign inside the propeller and dyno test cells at the GE Aviation Czech, the new GE H75-A is set to undergo several flight and aerobatic tests on board the brand-new DART-550 that has already been flying with the modified standard H75 engine.
“We are extremely proud to power the Diamond DART-550,” says Milan Slapak, Executive Director of GE Aviation Czech. “Today’s new generation of aerobatic and trainer aircraft demand more performance through different measures. For an engine, these measures include greater operational efficiency, lower fuel consumption and emissions, high-performance onboard electronics and weight savings optimized by cutting-edge materials.
“The new aerobatic GE H75-A engine was developed to meet these demands,” Slapak continues. “It’s radically different from its competitors. For the first time, a turboprop engine in this power class makes its debut with electronic engine and propeller control unit that allows pilots to perform training flying a single lever aircraft, replicating a jet-piloting experience.”
H-series engines are highly efficient and created to withstand drastic and challenging natural flight conditions thanks to its robust design. H-series engines have collected more than 560,000 flight hours with a global fleet operating in five continents and available in a power class ranging from 550 to 850shp since entering service in 2012.
“Diamond Aircraft is very happy with the collaboration with GE Aviation for our DART-550 turboprop tandem trainer,” says Robert John, Project Manager DART Program, Diamond Aircraft Austria. “For such a state-of-the-art aircraft you need an equally modern engine platform. The H75 is a very reliable, robust and proven engine that has been further optimized in terms of efficiency and maintenance. Together with Electronic Engine and Propeller Control (EEPC), the new GE H75-A makes a perfect match with our sophisticated DART-550 – ideal for a modern training environment.”
The full composite Diamond DART-550 aerobatic turboprop trainer in tandem seat configuration is designed for usage in pilot entry-level trainings. Powered by GE’s H75-A engine it will be able to perform all aerobatic maneuvers, including: inverted flights, maximum positive and negative g-maneuvers as well as zero-g. Inverted flight capabilities were tested leveraging GE Aviation Czech’s local external R&D network, specifically with Czech Aerospace Research Centre (VZLU) at their static inverted testing bench.
ABOUT GE AVIATION
GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, components, integrated digital, avionics, electrical power and mechanical systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings and is part of the world's Digital Industrial Company with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. For more information, visit us at http://www.ge.com/aviation. Follow GE Aviation on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GEAviation and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/GEAviation.
ABOUT DIAMOND AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES
Diamond Aircraft, headquartered in Austria with facilities in Canada and China, is amongst the leading aircraft manufacturer in General Aviation. Founded in 1981, Diamond has pioneered many aviation firsts and achieved numerous milestones and industry expert accolades. Today, Diamond Aircraft has more than 1,000 employees worldwide and offers the most complete range of certified piston aircraft models: from the 2-seat single DA20 to the stunning 7 seat DA62. With its complete line of piston aircraft including a dedicated flight training concept with Single Engine Piston (DA40 NG, DA40XLT) and Multi Engine Piston (DA42-VI) trainers, along with type-specific flight training simulators and proprietary engines, Diamond Aircraft is the only sole source provider in the fleet training market. Diamond Aircraft also made a footprint in the special mission market with the remote sensing turnkey solutions DA42 MPP and DA62 MPP and the soon to be certified aerobatic turboprop tandem trainer series DART. Diamond Aircraft uses proprietary lead-free jet fuel piston engines, made by Austro Engine GmbH (a 100% subsidiary of Diamond Aircraft Austria), for the DA40 NG, DA42-VI and DA62. Every one of Diamond’s aircraft shares a common DNA, incorporating leading edge technology, not for the sake of innovation, but for superior performance, efficiency and safety. Over 5,000 Diamond airplanes are flown by private pilots, professional flight training operators and institutions worldwide.
For more information, visit Diamond's newsroom at www.diamondaircraft.com/en/about-diamond/newsroom, contact the Media Relations department at [email protected], or follow us on facebook.com/diamondaircraftind, instagram.com/diamondaircraftind, or youtube.com/DiamondAircraftMedia.
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For further information, contact:
Yari Bovalino [email protected] Mobile: +39.335.756.96.19