A Diamond Aircraft DA50 RG is on display at China AirShow 2021 (Sept. 28—Oct. 3) in Zhuhai, Guangdong, and it got there the long way. Ferry pilots from the factory in Austria flew the high-performance single all the way to China for the show, arriving Monday (Sept. 27). The aircraft made 12 stops en route.
The ferry flight was a joint effort between Diamond Aircraft Austria and Wanfeng Diamond Aircraft China. Diamond Aircraft Austria pilots Martin Richter-Trummer and David Bausek took off from Wr. Neustadt, Austria Airport on Sept. 20. The 7,033-nautical-mile trip took a total of eight days and 45 flying hours to complete, with Wanfeng production test pilot Wang Ping making the final leg into Zhuhai Airport. Fuel consumption averaged 11.8 gallons per hour, according to Diamond Aircraft.
Bausek, the original lead design engineer for the DA50 program, noted, “Originally the DA50 was developed with a fixed gear, but the decision to switch to retractable gear was the right one. You and your passengers travel fast and safe—wherever you want to go, whenever you want to go.”
Liqun (Frank) Zhang, CEO of Diamond Aircraft Austria, said, “We are very proud of these latest milestones for our DA50 RG. We have been looking forward to presenting the DA50 RG at China AirShow for the first time and expect that the aircraft will spark lots of interest at the display.”
