Diamond's new very light jet is aimed to owner-pilots, and its four passengers will enjoy a nice, smooth ride.
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In one of the first articles here on "Positions & Promotions" we wrote about Very Light Jets (VLJ), and we wrote about two wee-know airplanes in that category, Cessna Citation Mustang and Eclipse 500. We said that market is growing, more and more company are working on their models, and in this articles we'll present you briefly another VLJ, Diamond Aircraft Industries' D-JET. (If you are interested in Cessna or Eclipse you can read the previous article HERE).
Following the slightly different philosophy than Cessna and Eclipse, Diamond designed its D-JET for owner that is the pilot at the same time. That owner-pilot philosophy is very attractive because of lower operation costs, not to mention the joy of flying your own plane.
In D-JET you can invite four friends (or enemies, depending on your flying skills), so it is not spacious enough for whole board of directors, but CEO, COO, and their wives may enjoy the luxury interior.
D-JET is 10.7 metres long, has a wingspan of 11.5 m, and can take load of up to 1,016 kg (or: length 35.1 feet; wingspan 37.6 feet; load 2,240 lbs). It has one engine Williams FJ33-4A that provides 583 km/h (362.5 mph), cruise speed is 444.5 km/h (276 mph), and it will take you 2500 km from home (1553.5 miles ).
The ceiling of 25,000 feet clearly shows that it is built to be safe and, indeed, the lower maximum altitude means less problems if pressurization fails than if that happens at much higher altitudes. The carbon fibre used for D-JET additionally attributes to safety and performance, and the same can be said for Diamond's "one piece damage tolerant design".
The special attention was paid to interior design. The first thing you'll see is an array of large windows that allows a nice view of clear, blue sky. The width and height are large, and so is the room for passenger's legs, and the Diamond's claim that "The cabin of the D-JET sets new standards that are on par with the world’s most expensive automobiles" do stands true. The space and ergonomics are also good in pilot's cabin. That is accompanied by high-quality materials, excellent craftsmanship and very nice design.
Behind the seating configuration "2 + 3" there are a baggage compartment (of course, there are also forward and aft compartments) where you can store your golf bag. There's no need to mention highest-class heating and air-conditioning.
Avionics Garmin built all avionics system. D-JET has two displays, one is the 12-inch Primary Flight Displays, the second one is large 15-inch central Multifunction Display. There are also the Garmin's GFC 700 fully integrated autopilot, dual GPS, dual Com, dual Nav, dual AHRS... So, everything an owner-pilot needs.
Diamond Aircraft Industries' D-JET is a very interesting very light jet and we have no doubt that it will have a long and very successful life. ■