Start here
A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The Katana began as an Austrian Diamond design and developed into the DV20 and DA20 families. The compact side-by-side cockpit, fixed landing gear and T-tail make a recognisable training-aircraft layout. Different developments use different engines and associated equipment. The DA20 should therefore be distinguished from both the four-seat DA40 and earlier Katana variants.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗The view that made training memorable
Greenspun remembers the Katana’s canopy as its greatest attraction: the low wing and wide view made him feel immersed in the sky. His training aircraft could also be pleasantly quiet with the propeller turning more slowly. On the ground, steering with differential braking took practice, and the small cockpit left him close enough to his instructor for their harness routines to collide. Longer flights revealed compromises.
Author’s March 2002 review. Nearly ninety hours training in the 80 hp Rotax-powered DA20-A1; later C1 comments are separate.
Philip Greenspun · Read more ↗A Continental Eclipse with a SkyView cockpit
Aerobask’s X-Plane 12 package represents the DA20-C1 with a 125 hp Continental IO-240. Its custom SkyView includes synthetic vision, touchscreen controls, autopilot and Navigraph charts. Instruments offer popup and separate-window views, with additional options for their presentation.
Diamond DA20 / DV20 · Aerobask · X-Plane 12
Aerobask · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube GreatFlyer · 10 min ·
Diamond DA20 | Startup, Takeoff & VFR Departure from Budapest (Tököl) | Cockpit View & ATC Comms
Startup and departure from Tököl in a DA20, including radio communications.
Real aircraft · Diamond DA20 / DV20
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Diamond DA20 / DV20
The Katana began as an Austrian Diamond design and developed into the DV20 and DA20 families. The compact side-by-side cockpit, fixed landing gear and T-tail make a recognisable training-aircraft layout. Different developments use different engines and associated equipment.
The DA20 differs from the four-seat DA40 and earlier Katana variants. Model suffixes identify the engine installations described in the manuals.
Diamond DA20 / DV20
Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
A trainer with motorglider roots
Diamond’s early aircraft family grew from the composite HK36 Super Dimona motorglider. Its timeline places the DV20 Katana’s maiden flight in 1991, bringing that design background into a compact two-seat aeroplane.
Diamond Aircraft · History: Unwavering Commitment to Innovation ↗Manufacturer’s timeline · early development
Austria and Canada in the same family
Diamond established its Canadian operation in London, Ontario, in 1992 and introduced the DA20 to the market. The Austrian DV20 and Canadian DA20 names belong to this shared development story; engine and equipment differences still matter when reading individual pilot accounts.
Diamond Aircraft · History: Unwavering Commitment to Innovation ↗Manufacturer’s timeline · Canadian expansion
Pilot accounts
The view that made training memorable
Greenspun remembers the Katana’s canopy as its greatest attraction: the low wing and wide view made him feel immersed in the sky. His training aircraft could also be pleasantly quiet with the propeller turning more slowly. On the ground, steering with differential braking took practice, and the small cockpit left him close enough to his instructor for their harness routines to collide.
Longer flights revealed compromises. The reclined seat encouraged him to crane forward, leaving his neck uncomfortable, and he found some instruments difficult to read at night. Although he enjoyed training in the Katana, he eventually bought a DA40 for its additional capabilities and rear seats. Making room for his dog Alex was part of that decision.
Author’s March 2002 review. Nearly ninety hours training in the 80 hp Rotax-powered DA20-A1; later C1 comments are separate.
Read the full account · Philip Greenspun ↗A glider instructor meets a familiar-looking wing
Kasprzyk came to the Katana through a gliding connection. Long wanted a refresher after limited recent flying, and the two began with a detailed inspection of the newly serviced aircraft. Kasprzyk liked the shoulder and legroom, although his large feet felt cramped near the pedals. Keeping straight while taxiing with differential braking was initially humbling.
Long flew the first circuit before Kasprzyk took the controls. In gusty conditions he found that small stick movements were enough to correct the aircraft, and the canopy helped him follow traffic around Arlington’s busy runways. A long final gave him time to settle the approach before a soft-field landing. He left enthusiastic about the handling and curious to try the aircraft’s glider-like wing in thermals on another flight.
FlightLog · March 2021. Flying Nick Long’s Canadian-built DA20-A1 at Arlington after its annual inspection.
Read the full account · Stan Kasprzyk / FlightLog ↗A visiting reporter gets a student’s checkride
Marsh approached his visit as a chance to experience the pressure placed on an Air Force screening student. He studied the procedures and memorised nearly all the aircraft figures he was given. Early manoeuvres went well, including steep turns and a landing that benefited from watching D’Amico’s demonstration. The instructor’s occasional compliments made the exercise feel encouraging.
Returning to Pueblo exposed how quickly the task could unravel. Marsh lined up with the wrong parallel runway, then misjudged a simulated forced landing and needed the instructor to intervene as speed increased. His eventual touchdown was smooth, but that did not erase the earlier mistakes. He finished with a self-deprecating keepsake for D’Amico and a memorable lesson in the difference between handling an aircraft and managing the whole flight.
AOPA Pilot · October 2008. Doss Aviation’s USAF screening DA20-C1, configured for a student in the right seat, flown with Pete D’Amico at Pueblo and Fowler.
Read the full account · AOPA Pilot ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →MSFS 2024DV20
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
DV20
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
MSFS 2020DV20
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
DV20
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
X-Plane 12Diamond DA20 / DV20
Aerobask · Released
Diamond DA20 / DV20
Aerobask · Released
MSFS 2020DA20-C1
SimSolutions · Released
DA20-C1
SimSolutions · Released
X-Plane 12DA20-C1
SimSolutions · Released
DA20-C1
SimSolutions · Released
X-Plane 12Diamond Katana DA20 C1
X-Hangar · Released
Diamond Katana DA20 C1
X-Hangar · Released
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
A Continental Eclipse with a SkyView cockpitDiamond DA20 / DV20 · Aerobask · X-Plane 12
Aerobask’s X-Plane 12 package represents the DA20-C1 with a 125 hp Continental IO-240. Its custom SkyView includes synthetic vision, touchscreen controls, autopilot and Navigraph charts. Instruments offer popup and separate-window views, with additional options for their presentation.
Gathered Aerobask page · DA20-C1; package revision not stated
Aerobask · Read the source ↗The DV20’s Sim Update 2 revisionDV20 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
The May 2025 release notes identify iniBuilds’ DV20 package version 0.0.11. Its changes address engine-cover interaction, propeller animation, electrical indications and missing EFB takeoff/landing performance data. These changes apply to the documented 0.0.11 revision.
Official MSFS 2024 SU2 notes · 1.4.20.0
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Read the source ↗Small-aircraft detail that continues between flightsDiamond DA20 / DV20 · Aerobask · X-Plane 12
The developer describes working breaker-switches with configurable reliability, saved parameters, selectable passengers and a simulated headset. Rain, frost and reflections appear on the windshield, and the FMOD environment is credited to Daniela Rodriguez Careri. The listing also names native support for RXP and TDS GTN750 options.
Developer-documented features · no independent fidelity claim
Aerobask · Read the source ↗Pilot account
The view that made training memorableAuthor’s March 2002 review. Nearly ninety hours training in the 80 hp Rotax-powered DA20-A1; later C1 comments are separate.
Greenspun remembers the Katana’s canopy as its greatest attraction: the low wing and wide view made him feel immersed in the sky. His training aircraft could also be pleasantly quiet with the propeller turning more slowly. On the ground, steering with differential braking took practice, and the small cockpit left him close enough to his instructor for their harness routines to collide. Longer flights revealed compromises.
Philip Greenspun
Philip Greenspun · Read the source ↗A glider instructor meets a familiar-looking wingFlightLog · March 2021. Flying Nick Long’s Canadian-built DA20-A1 at Arlington after its annual inspection.
Kasprzyk came to the Katana through a gliding connection. Long wanted a refresher after limited recent flying, and the two began with a detailed inspection of the newly serviced aircraft. Kasprzyk liked the shoulder and legroom, although his large feet felt cramped near the pedals. Keeping straight while taxiing with differential braking was initially humbling. Long flew the first circuit before Kasprzyk took the controls.
Stan Kasprzyk
Stan Kasprzyk / FlightLog · Read the source ↗Developer documentation
DA20-C1 — product listingDA20-C1 · MSFS 2020
Product listing captured 2026-09-30; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue
iniBuilds Store · Read the source ↗DA20-C1 — product listingDA20-C1 · X-Plane 12
Product listing captured 2026-09-23; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue
store.x-plane.org · Read the source ↗Diamond Katana DA20 C1 — product listingDiamond Katana DA20 C1 · X-Plane 12
Product listing captured 2026-09-23; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue
store.x-plane.org · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developersAircraft background
Diamond DA20 KatanaWikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 954579312 · retrieved 2026-09-12 History: Unwavering Commitment to InnovationDiamond Aircraft · Manufacturer’s historical timeline · retrieved September 2026Resource
MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoft MSFS 2020 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoftProduct
DA20-C1 EclipseAerobask · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12 SimSolutions DA20-C1 for MSFS-2020 – iniBuilds StoreiniBuilds Store · Product listing captured 2026-09-30; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue DA20-C1 Eclipse-SimSolutions-DA20Cstore.x-plane.org · Product listing captured 2026-09-23; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue Diamond Katana DA20 C1-xhangar-DA20store.x-plane.org · Product listing captured 2026-09-23; edition scope from the reviewed catalogueDeveloper documentation
Release Notes — Sim Update 2 [1.4.20.0]Microsoft Flight Simulator · 15 May 2025 · aircraft-specific package revisionsType designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 6 profile choices
Aerobask DA20 SV
Aerobask · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
Aerobask DA20 SV: The spring-preload trim mechanism accompanies reversible primary controls.
SimSolutions Diamond DA20-C1 Eclipse
SimSolutions · Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
SimSolutions Diamond DA20-C1 Eclipse: The spring-preload trim mechanism accompanies reversible primary controls.
SimSolutions Diamond DA20-C1
SimSolutions · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020
SimSolutions Diamond DA20-C1: The spring-preload trim mechanism accompanies reversible primary controls.
X-Hangar Diamond DA20-C1
X-Hangar · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
X-Hangar Diamond DA20-C1: The spring-preload trim mechanism accompanies reversible primary controls.
Diamond DV20 Katana
Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Review pending
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 · X-Plane 12
Diamond DV20 Katana: The spring-preload trim mechanism accompanies reversible primary controls.
Diamond DA20-C1 Eclipse
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 · X-Plane 12
Diamond DA20-C1 Eclipse: The spring-preload trim mechanism accompanies reversible primary controls.
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