A Diamond Star DA40XL successfully flew a 16-hour, 52-minute, 2250=nm nonstop leg from Japan to Nome, Alaska, as part of an around-the-world flight that began May 11 at Diamond’s London, Ontario, facility. The trip for new owner Marc Aurel Lehman was facilitated by an extra fuel tank and the company of Karl-Heinz Maxwitat. On an adventure that took them through Croatia, Greece, Kuwait, Dubai, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Alaska and Northern Canada, the two men added 150 flight hours to their logs and witnessed more than 20,000 nautical miles of world geography. With the aircraft’s return to London, it will now enjoy some factory maintenance and a G1000 upgrade to take advantage of the Garmin’s synthetic vision technology and digital sightseeing. Following the upgrade, Lehman has planned a flight to Europe that should include stops in St. John’s and the Azores. Piloting an around-the-world flight has been my dream since I received some flight training lessons for my birthday in 2004,said Lehman … who now seems due for a new dream.
The DA40XL is not currently listed on Diamond’s Web site. The DA40XLS is a four-place, low-wing composite aircraft powered by a 180-hp Lycoming IO-360 that normally carries 50 gallons for up to 785 nm while burning 10 gallons per hour. It is advertised by Diamond as the “most fuel efficient aircraft in its class.”
