Flying the DIAMOND DA50 RG - Better than Cirrus? 

I can see how the DA50 has an appeal in Europe due to the 100LL situation. However, in the US, it falls quite short. I learned in the DA40 so I am quite a fan of Diamond and wish this plane had more to offer. The bad: (a) the SR22T and DA50 are NOT the same price. I was at the booth at Oshkosh and the fully loaded DA50 is a whopping $1.45m vs $1.06m for the fully loaded SR22T. (b) Fuel capacity is 51.5 gal in the DA50 vs 92 gal in the SR22T so the range is much less (c) I cruise at 196-200 KTAS in the SR22T @17k ft @16.4 gph which is significantly faster than even the max speed of the DA50 at 181 KTAS. (d) the climb rate and service ceiling is 20% better in the SR22T than the DA50 (e) the 44' wing span vs 38' for the SR22T is a significant issue in the US due to hangars being 40-42 feet wide typically (f) passengers sitting in the co-pilot seat find the center stick not appealing vs side stick. I actually don't mind the center stick. (g) I find the seats to be quite hard in the DA50 vs the SR22T. (h) The insurance is going to be significantly higher in a DA50 with its retractible gear and "newness". (i) Getting a qualified CFI is difficult as there aren't many around (j) Dry leasing your plane out will be more difficult..............The good: (a) Jet A is typically much cheaper than 100LL so cost per hour is even that much less in the DA50 (b) passengers have more room in the back (c) The seats fold down in a more flat position so putting golf clubs and more luggage is better in the DA50 (d) The ramp appeal is better in the DA50 since there is not many DA50s that roll into airports in the US and the fact that it looks more impressive than a SR22T.

Gentlemen, Thank you for a very professionally done video. You all did a great job of reviewing the aircraft. I really enjoyed the beautiful Austrian countryside. Happy, & safe, flying!

Excellent presentation and analysis between the two airplanes. Diamond DA50 looks awesome and handles well as per your vlog.

As a longtime Diamond DA40 co-owner I can tell you one thing. Diamonds are the nicer airplane to fly than the cirrus. Its flight characteristics are super safe. Its like a German Car, precise and perfectly balanced. Stalling is not an issue and they get out of a spin. But thats about it. In all other „departments“ the DA50 falls short in comparison to a SR22T. But the biggest issue with Diamond, is their aftersales. We have a DA40 with IO360, there has never been an update for the G1000 since it was launched in 2008! No upgrade path what so ever. Diamond had to be pushed by owners to get ready for ADSB a few years back. I would never buy a Diamond again. Cirrus is the much better package. It’s a pitty as I prefer the stick feeling of a Diamond and it’s docile flight characteristicts. I really don’t know, who would buy a DA50. If you have that kind of money I would buy a DA62. Diamond got to get their after sales fixed, improve the software and then we can talk. And don’t forget, cirrus are mainly owned by owner pilots, a big part of the diamond fleet is trining, as an owner pilot your needs are not interesting for diamond.

Great video! I'm glad to see some quality GA reporting in Europe. I've subscribed and I'm looking forward to more content from you.

Again, a nice video, thanks to you, Simon. Enjoyed this extensive video and report on the Diamond. Great job and please continue your excellent videos!

Great explanation of the differences ~ thanks for the intelligent presentation!

Thanks for this video. It opened me up to the Diamond line of aircraft.

Great and high quality content! I'm really looking forward to a new video!

The engineering and R&D as well as focus on safety that goes into one of these is awesome; I just love it.

Great video! Thanks for sharing.

Fold up wing tips would solve the hanger space issue. Nice plane.

Almost $900,000 and A/C is an option unreal.

Great review and thank you. It's a long way from the old C152 I learned in many years ago! My son will start his flying this year in a DA40, which makes me a very jealous dad indeed! Cheers from Sydney - Dave

Amazing demo. Congrats

i really appreciate you converting metric to our standard or non metric units

My dream airplane is the new Piper M700 Fury. It seats six and cruises at 300 knots - but it's about four times the price of the Diamond.

What a great video. Thanks.

Incredible plane. I had the opportunity to see it this year at Friedrichshafen and I was blown away!!

I trained in a DA20! I loved it. Not fancy but a good economical aircraft to train on.

Thanks guys for including my video at around 3:52 :)

Cool to see fellow europeans making quality ga videos. Great job !

Nice well done review. Thanks

IF I had a $1.5 million to spend on an airplane, it would be a tough decision. But I think, for me, I'd still buy the SR22T. Just more support here in the US. More hanger options, support, CFIs, etc. And I like the side stick. But who am I kidding. I likely never be able to afford a new DA50 or a Cirrus. lol.

the interior looks very comfy

I absolutely love it!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

What a beautiful aircraft. I love it. Please buy me one!

Nice video, thank you Simon. As I had the chance to fly in this very DA50RG on the backseat and being a Cirrus-pilot at the same time there are two hearts beating in my chest. What would be worth mentioning is the engine TBO or to be more precise TBR... The CD-300 needs to be replaced after running out of time and will cost roughly around 100k. An overhaul is not possible. Their goal is to bring the TBR up to 2000h wich is not the case yet. So this will then bring the costs down a bit in the future. But you won't find a DA50RG for less than 800.-/h, which is quite a price for a 5-seat-aicraft (wich is not true for 5 adults btw). So IMHO the DA50RG is a fantastic plane, very well built and with fantastic systems, but it is what it is: a luxury dream ;-). Thanks again Simon, greetings to Silvan and keep up your good work!

Similar airplanes, but with significant differences. Most of it will come down to your typical mission. For instance, high-altitude VFR is much less common in Europe because several countries effectively have caps in place anywhere between FL100 and FL130. So a lot of big, grunty turbos can reach their sweet spots only under IFR. Couple that with the fact that it's a lot less common for private pilots in Europe to have an instrument rating, and your market looks quite different just for that reason. The fifth seat may also be a massive game changer, depending on your family structure. But all that aside, there's a pet peeve I have: I understand it's mostly for insurance reasons in the US market; but fixed landing gear on a high-performance airplane just seems massively anachronistic to me. It's like installing fixed fenders right at the water line of a speedboat. Flying a Cirrus (or a TTX, for that matter), I would constantly be thinking about those three big lollipops I'm dragging through the air.

Thanks and your welcome keep up the good work and hope to see you soon at teuge airport😉

Love both of them . Funny how you mention the "if i win the lottery plane" haha. Mine would be def. the Cessna 510 or the Hjet 🥰

The DA50 RG seems to be a fantastic and a fantastically safe airplane. Having said that, at its asking price, one would have to consider a new Baron or Seneca V or a Piper M350.

Very nice explanatory video. I own a Cirrus SR22 and have flown the Diamond DA 40 in the past for many hours. Love the Diamond. Like you said Cirrus had no competition, so I’m glad that now there is an airplane with similar capabilities and appeal of the Cirrus. I’m certain , as well as many other Cirrus pilots, that if they would have incorporated the airframe parachute many of us would definitely consider the DA 50. In a recent Cirrus event the DA 50 was mentioned,and almost 100% of the significant others, would not want to switch because of not being equipped with the parachute. Hoping that they incorporate them in the future.

Hangar space is already at a premium, but oversized hangar space is that much harder.

How would you compare the stall characteristics of the DA-50 and the SR-22T? In terms of how abruptly it enters into one and which one is easier to recover from? Thanks for the great test flight video!

I'm not a pilot but i do watch a lot of flight videos and my take away from this video is that it sure was nice to be able to understand the control tower over the radio...Normally they speak so fast I miss most of it or have to replay it...Someday, someday.

Wonderful review. Having flown in a Cirrus 22, it's a bit tight for a big guy like me. I like the fact that the Diamond has more room. I'll take the Diamond DA50 RG.

Klasse Video! Vielen Dank dafür! Würde mich nicht wundern, wenn Cirrus demnächst für nen Demoflight anruft 😉😁

Geniale, aussagekräftige Dokumentation, danke! Ich warte jetzt noch auf den Lottogewinn und melde mich dann wieder ... 🙂.

By that performance chart, the cirrus is 7 kts slower at similar ~12.7gal/hr fuel burn at 8,000. That's also worth mentioning

Thank you for this very nicely done video. I am a former DA40 pilot. While I absolutely loved my two DA40-180, I have since turned sour on Diamond for their lack of ambition when it comes to lightweight construction and their poor customer support. The DA50 is overweight - crippled beyond fixing from day one. Pipistrel have a much better design philosophy in my opinion. Diamond have also not learned the vital art of keeping their customers. Summary: I would certainly not buy a DA50.

sehr gute Bericht, wundert mich, dass Dein Kanal nicht die Menge von Abonnenten hat die ihm gebührt.

The arm rest keypad looks to be inspired from the Intrepid Class Voyager Captain's chair 😉

A demo flight with the SRT22T shows a much smoother attitude; this may be due to the young pilot and/or the weather. In a price comparison with full equipment, the DA50 is significantly more expensive at US$ 1.45 million than the SRT22T, which I find more modern and better than the DA50. In addition, the DA50 requires more hangar space. But that's probably also a matter of taste.

Hey, do you have any recommendation for a (Heli) flight school in Switzerland?

Es una belleza, esa aeronave.

Thanks

gorgeous plane!

The build quality, especially fit and finish looks far superior in the diamond aircraft to my eye but I am sure they are both great planes to fly.

I like the idea of owning a Diamond, mostly because of their design philosophy and how they executed to it. Money not being an issue for a listing GA plane, and it would likely aim for a DA62 or a DA50, depending on my mission at the time.

Very good. Welcome in my city .Big aircraft. Porto Alegre.

And yet so much more is possible... now go read the specs on the Evolution Piston 350... Half the price of a diamond 50RG, 60 kts faster, double the range, FL250, RVSM limited, ***pressurized*** and also single lever throttle (Almost FADEC). Sadly experimental though, and of course the uncertainty of a smaller company behind it. If evolution ever takes the next step, gets it certified, and takes good care of their customers, they'll absolutely crush the competition. Would be very interested in a flight characteristics comparison video RG50 vs SR22T vs the EVO-P350. All dream airplanes out of reach for most of course, but handling would be the remaining Q especially with the Lanceair prior models (IV-P) having a reputation for some difficulties there.

18:32 first smile from the Boss. 🙂

Impressive plane. I’m not a pilot, but I am an aviation fan.

For noise abatement you could just come in unpowered. What's the glide ratio of it?

How would it compare to a Piper M350? I would choose pressurization over oxy masks any time. Also seats 6.

I would go for the C210P maybe with an Alison mod added for extra speed. I love the C210 😉✌️

My dad is a retired Navy pilot and B777 captain. Growing up with a pilot dad opened up many exciting opportunities most kids don't get to experience. We flew his C172 from Chicago to TX and FL. He puts it on autopilot and takes a nap while I give it a little left rudder. I took flight lessons as a young kid but stopped after freaking out doing my stalls because I was a pussy. But I do like aviation. And loved sitting in my brothers F-15E seat.

Super avion que j'achète comme tu le dis si ... une pluie d'euros tombe sur mon toit. j'ai eu la chance de l'essayer à Avignon lors du tour d'Europe. Très bel essai dans cette vidéo.

Diamond made a huge mistake by not including a parachute. Without it, there is no comparison. Cirrus will continue to dominate the market until someone else comes out with a plane that can compete on performance AND have a parachute.

With added cabin air conditioning, would the fuel consumption increase significantly?

No way, practically speaking, better than a Cirrus SR22. Why? 1. It doesn’t fit in a standard T hangar so will you really leave $1 Mil parked on the ramp or pay $3K a month for a corporate hangar? 2. The diesels are economical (on fuel consumption) but finicky as hell, and try finding a mechanic that knows anything about them when you get a “no-go” CAS message in “K-NoWhere” USA. Truly a no-go for days. 3. Geared engines… overhaul that and there goes all your fuel savings plus some. 4. Retract is cool, but higher insurance premiums and swinging the gear on annuals again offset any perceived savings. As with all things, look at the numbers, for most missions the Cirrus can’t be beat, for convenience, reliability, hangaring, and training. Cirrus has an airline quality training program with hundreds of scenario based training videos, Diamond gives you a manual and wishes you good luck. I’ve owned several Diamond twins and several SR22’s, for most the Cirrus is a clear win and it is the most popular GA aircraft in the world for many reasons.

A very impressive plane!

Thanks for sharing, with the cost of fuels that would be a good choice , otherwise a million dollars is out of reach for me ❤

I want one!!!

A few years ago, I was in the market for a faster single. I did a demo flight in a Cessna 400 TTX which I unfortunately missed out on when someone put a deposit on it only a few minutes after I finished the demo flight. Point of the story is I did a good amount of research and comparison and personally found the TTX to be a better aircraft than the Cirrus. Mostly because I didn't want a parachute. I have to admit though that the cirrus has a much better service network.

Rate of climb is < 800 f/min, that is about the same as our C172 JTA, in comparison the SR22T > 1200 f/min. Fuel capacity 185 liter, SR22T > 350 liter. I believe the DA50 tanks are too small.

Why in the world are aircraft so expensive when we have the technology more than ever to mass produce them and drive the prices of them down to what a new car costs? This is a fact. Why so high in cost?

idk why I thought this was with a v8, but a TT V6 is still pretty nice, and different

Mommy, can we have a Cirrus? No, we have a Cirrus at home. *The cirrus at home*

Happy to be 👍 #777! 🛫❤️

How much does it cost and do you get it here in USA

I believe the diesel engines were converted Mercedes engines. To date still one of the very few automotive engines to receive aircraft certification. Greatly modified from automotive use of course. Still a great achievement and proof of the robustness of the Benz powerplant.

Beautiful looking plane, but Columbia/TTx and SR22T will fly faster without the complexity of retractable gear, and thus much cheaper insurance. Side stick is more comfortable on long cross-country trips, and makes getting in and out easier. Wing span is an issue with most t hangars. For the ridiculous price one can get a six seat pressurised M350 or even M500. We can commend Dimond for trying new tech and pushing boundaries by designing this fine aircraft, but I still have hard time seeing practicality.

It seems that where one intends to use the aircraft also makes a lot of difference. I wonder how the DA50 and Cirrus SR22T compares in places that aren't Europe or North America.

I really like what Diamond has done. Engineering, design, quality/fit finish and overall concept is forward thinking and outstanding. The days are numbered for avgas engines. I don't like it, it's just the way it is. My Diamond would be a DA-62. Even at 1.8 - 2.0M I would choose that even over the Cirrus Vision Jet! Maybe some day!! 8) --gary

nice :))

Insurance premium and requirement is just ridiculous, I was quoted just little over $100K per year insurance for DA50. Sure it's awesome plane, but insurance cost + maintenance cost more expensive than SR22T.

The only thing I hate from this aircraft is having the control in that position... wasn´t it possible to set it aside like a cirrus 22? for example?

what do you do if you need to use restroom?

"If I win the lottery airplane", "The choice is of course a Cirrus SR22". Here's a man with no... imagination

Sehr coole Maschine und schönes Video. Ich hatte gehofft das die Maschine ein bisschen schneller ist aber wenn man sie mal in echt sieht weiß man warum die keine 220 KTAS oder so schafft. Ein richtig großes Flugzeit auch im Vergleich zur Cirrus. Ich bleibe aber erst mal bei meiner Mooney mir wahrscheinlich halb so großer Kabine. 160 KTAS in FL100 bei 10 US GAL. und einem Einkaufspreis von deutlich unter 1. mio :)

The dream plane with unlimited funds is obviously a Phenom 300 or Honda Elite Jet 2 for Americans. It has the range to travel throughout North America, but can still be flown by a single pilot. These small single engine prop planes just don't have the range to travel around North America.

I like the Evolution, except its tires are on the small side, also fuel capacity.

I'd love to one day buy one but I don't think I'll ever afford it

There was a time where I am from where most farmers had their own plane. The flying club was huge in our small community. Brand new Cessna 150’s , 172’s, Cherokee’s, etc. it never took a life savings amount of money to buy a new plane. Now this same group of people cannot afford new planes. Simply way out of reach. Very sad where the aviation industry has gone and it’s slowly dying because of it. In my opinion, these planes should be priced at a third of what they are.

Which headset do you use in a 777 ? Definitely not a Bose.

To be truly compelling it needs to win against Cirrus in at least two, preferably all of the following. Size of cabin, speed, useful load; I think it only takes a win presently in cabin size and ties in load. Diamond is so close……..come on diamond, win all three and make our choice easy!

Garmin auto land and parachute would be awesome.

I noticed the oil filler door was not flush to the cowling and it was vibrating, this could pose a problem.

You had major elbow room. Have to say, passenger’s room was effected unnecessarily. Employee instructor had his arms crossed the whole flight.

I’m currently in flight school and we use the Cirrus SR20. Just having CAPS alone is enough for me to favor Cirrus above everything else. I know I probably won’t have parachutes later in my aviation career, but knowing that as a young student that I have a lower risk of death thanks to CAPS is very reassuring for me (and my parents)

I keep wanting someone to explain the characteristics between DA50 & DA62...

this video did not have enough lip smacking! I prefer a video with tons of that satisfying moist lip popping sound!

How does the da52 rg compares to the da42 vi in terms of cost, price, range and payload?

It's a great looking airplane but I don't I don't really "get it." The sizes means you either need to be fortunate enough to have access to a large hangar or pay up for FBO hangaring services. In either case why not just get the amazing DA62 where you have the enhanced safety and performance of the twin. With an aircraft as capable as this or an SR22T is, the parachute is game changing for me in determining routes I'm willing to take. Cool machine, super niche. Meaningful SR competition....? eh not really. Particularly once you factor in price. Near to a 62, much more than a 22T.

If considering a single engine Diamond, I'd still go for the DA40 NG. I find it hard to justify the larger airplane size and higher fuel consumption of the much more powerful 300 hp engine of the 50, considering the performance of both airplanes. The smaller, lighter, less expensive to own and operate DA40 NG offers similar performance (at the cost of carrying one less passenger, which I find quite acceptable). In my opinion, the *DA40 NG* is the dream airplane.

Tolles Video, bei mir reicht's nur für eine C42 😅🙈 dafür auch nur 12-13l/h bei 150 kmh 😅. Eben eine andere Welt.

I actually let out an audible laugh when you said is it better than the Cirrus SR 22. I said oh yeah, way better!

Well, if I win the lottery, I'd much rather have the DA50 RG than the Cirrus. It has been my dream since I saw it for the first time