Diamond DA50 RG Arrives at China AirShow 2021, Under Its Own Power

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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.”

Mark Phelps
Mark Phelps is a senior editor at AVweb. He is an instrument rated private pilot and former owner of a Grumman American AA1B and a V-tail Bonanza.

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10 COMMENTS

  1. When I was selling planes I found it rather counterproductive that people working in the business mostly flew commercial. It’s certainly smart from a cost standpoint, but what does it tell your potential customers?

      • I don’t have to ask. Many buy them to travel. There’s a bit of cognitive dissonance in many buyers. Those with huge amounts of disposable income can move up to turbines if they like. For most potential buyers, the cost is being somewhat rationalized because it’s not going to save money. It’s also really not going to save as much time as we like to think. Mostly, we buy because we love to fly and travel is just one of the good excuses.

        When, or if, the buyer finds that the sales people and managers selling the planes rarely use them for travel, it just can’t be loosening the wallet. I was a kid in the seventies, but I bet the manufacturers and dealers didn’t fly SWA into town to meet with potential buyers when they were selling ten thousand each of the most popular models.

  2. Isn’t this the country that has a terrible human rights reputation? Doesn’t it harvest organs? How about the conditions for production? What about recognizing the Taliban? You all act like you’re dealing with a civilized country.

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