Super Singles

New certified piston aircraft are rare beasts, and for good reason. They cost a fortune to develop, more to certify and yet more to put into production. When the manufacturer finally crosses the finishing line – often with performance, weight and price numbers that vary from the early marketing dreams – it still has to climb the mountain that involves getting the aeroplane into the hands of paying owners. It’s no surprise that newcomers struggle when even the old hands have experienced failures, but both Cirrus and Diamond have a track record of new model success.

Diamond’s newly certified DA50-RG drops right in at the top of the piston single tree where it is up against the Cirrus SR22 and the Textron, (né Beechcraft) Bonanza. In terms of sales, Cirrus has held the crown for as long as most can remember, selling 331 SR22s last year against Textron’s seven (yes!) Bonanzas. There have been other contenders, Cessna developed something called the NGP (New Generation Piston), but it was only ever seen in a fly-by at AirVenture and as a mock-up on a trade stand. Columbia had the certified 400, a project later bought by Cessna where it was re-named the Corvalis TTx, but in February 2018 that line made its final landing. The TTx sold in better numbers than the Bonanza, but insiders told me that it was just too expensive to build. Slowly making its way through the certification process is the Pipistrel Panthera, a sleek looking, high speed retractable single, but that’s at least a year away from the finishing line. And we all know that aviation project years aren’t the same as normal calendar years… Of course Mooney is looking like it might have a new lease of life, but right now is concentrating on supporting the existing fleet. 

With travel plans difficult, thanks to you know what, we’ve taken a first look at Diamond’s big newcomer through the eyes of our French friends at Aviation & Pilote, who grabbed a flight at the Austrian manufacturer’s factory. We’ve also taken a look at how it measures up against the competition, and just as soon as we can get some decent stick and seat time in the big retractable diesel we’ll bring you an extended report.

Diamond DA50-RG

Before the DA50-RG there was the Magnum, Diamond’s fixed-gear, avgas-powered high performance developmental aeroplane that went nowhere, apparently because the performance was, erm, not so hot. Then came another developmental DA50 fixed-gear aircraft that we flew with a bare carbon interior a few years ago. It was powered by a 170hp (ish) Jet-A fuelled engine. It was OK once it got to a high level cruise, but not so good at getting there. Then there was an SMA (remember them?) powered version that was also quietly sunsetted. Now, there’s the certified DA50-RG. Using the same fuselage as the DA62 twin, but with a single Continental 300hp Jet-A fuelled FADEC engine and retractable gear, this is Diamond’s entrance into the high-end piston market. 

Emmanuel Davidson, Aviation & Pilote’s editorial director recently flew the aircraft from Diamond’s factory in Wiener Neustadt Austria and kindly gave us his impressions. “The aircraft is imposing, it’s not just the wingspan, but the height… inside it’s cavernous, there’s seats for five, and plenty of baggage space (although no separate baggage door) …interior trim is luxurious and feels like a big German car. It’s immediately obvious that a lot of attention has been paid to ergonomics, with everything falling to hand, and all the interior rests in just the right places… you can’t move the seats forward or aft, instead the rudder pedals are moved to the right position with an electric motor. As with all Diamond aircraft, there’s a stick instead of a yoke… the big 300hp Jet-A fuelled engine starts easily, as you’d expect, and the usual checks are done by just holding the test button. The big engine is geared and turns at about 5,000rpm with the big MT three-bladed prop turning at 2,300rpm. It’s amazing how smooth and quiet everything is. Taking off we climb at about 900fpm all the way to 9,000ft. At maximum continuous power we get 170kt TAS while burning 16usg, with the power pulled back to 75 per cent we see 160kt with a fuel burn of 11usg. The handling is exemplary, and landing a piece of cake… Max all up weight is set at 1,999kg, the magic number that avoids Eurocontrol airway charges. Maybe because of this, and to maintain load flexibility, tank capacity is 55usg, so at max cruise range is just 550nm, rising to 750nm if you adopt a more economical cruise speed. A well equipped FIKI DA50-RG will sell at about the same price as a Cirrus, and is probably the toughest completion the aircraft from Duluth has seen for a while.

Cirrus SR22T

When the Bonanza was launched, Cirrus founders Alan and Dale Klapmeier were 12 and nine respectively. When, in 1994, they announced the SR20, complete with its rocket-deployed recovery parachute, the industry crusties and elders sucked their teeth, all the while shaking their hands and wishing them well. The brothers (neither of whom are still with the company) successfully brought the SR20 to market before launching the industry leading SR22. 

Continual development saw aviation’s first all glass cockpit in serial production, FIKI (Flight Into Known Icing) protection, increased payload with a higher max all up weight, a fifth seat, greater range with increased fuel capacity and literally hundreds of other improvements and changes, all of which have combined to make the SR22 and SR22T completely dominant in the high-performance, personal business/tourer category, outselling everyone by a huge margin despite a price tag that’s pushing a million dollars $1m – before VAT.

It’s not the quickest SEP, but it’s faster than most, and the fastest of this group. Despite being the only one with fixed gear, it’s got great handling, although it’s not quite as good as the Bonanza.

If touring’s your thing then this is the ultimate piston-powered magic carpet, taking you from the UK to the South of France at a seemingly effortless and cosseted 180kt. Pilots and passengers enjoy a premium cabin with plenty of room, and while it has the same avionics as both the Bonanza and Diamond, Cirrus has done a better job of integrating the avionics, the aircraft’s systems and above all, the human interfaces.

The side stick, the curved panel, the switch cluster, the throttle placement, and all the detail touches such as the phone pocket that’s built into the seat, the drink holder and headset hooks all show that everyone who has a hand in the aeroplane’s evolution shares the same goal, that the features aren’t just layered on to an airframe when engineering has finished with it. This is an aeroplane that’s continually designed and developed by people who do a lot of GA flying and who are always looking to enhance the experience.

The SR22 has had the benefit of a clean sheet design that until now has been younger than the competition. It was also, until the SF50 Vision Jet, the figurehead product that received all the company’s attention. Cessna/Beechcraft – now Textron – have, for many years, had bigger, faster, more expensive and more profitable jets fighting for their share of investment and engineering time. It’s possible that the DA50-RG is about to give the Cirrus its first serious bit of competition in a while…

G36 Bonanza

The Bonanza’s DNA goes back to 1947. It’s been in continual production for longer than any other aeroplane (you have to squint a bit for that to be true), 17,000 have been sold and it’s been years since doctors climbed aboard with any trepidation. It is by any measure (apart from current sales) a tremendous success.

It’s made from good old riveted ‘aluminium’, it’s spacious (if you don’t fill all six seats), looks good and performs well. Current models are designated as G36s, but they’re basically A36s with Garmin G1000 avionics. Earlier Bonanzas had a single ‘throwover’ yoke that could be swapped between left and right seat, and a somewhat unconventional layout for the throttle, prop and mixture controls. Now a modern Bonanza has a very traditional look, in fact, it is the only aeroplane here with a standard yoke, the Cirrus having a side stick, and the DA-50, well just a normal stick.

If you are a traditionalist this is the aeroplane you’ll lust over, if you’re into Americana even better, the (factory new) model we flew had leather seats with what looked like alligator skin panel inserts. I’m sure a hat shelf for stetsons and a gun rack must have featured in the options list at some point in the model’s history.

More practically, the Bonanza enjoys fantastic, light, well-harmonised handling. It has the legendary Beechcraft solid feel. Max cruise speed is 176kt, but realistically a comfortable cruise that isn’t emptying the tanks and your wallet quite so quickly is around 155-160kt.

Of the three aircraft it has the narrowest cockpit but the most seats, although with a useful load of 468kg, you’re not going to be going too far once you’ve filled them all with friends and a few bags. Talking of filling the seats, there’s huge double doors that make getting in and out of the rear club seating pretty easy, and should you decide to remove a couple of seats to make room for more luggage, getting that in and out is a cinch. The same cannot be said for the front two seats as, the Bonanza has just the one door which is on the P2 side.

Sadly for Textron the number of people willing to pay the best part of a million dollars for a new but traditional G36 is limited. There are faster, more comfortable aeroplanes, and frankly there’s more than enough A36s that could be bought and completely refurbished for much less. The Bo as a used aircraft has a long and happy future, but the G36 as a factory new aeroplane…