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A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The DA42 was Diamond's first twin-engine aircraft design. It introduced a new European light twin to a class that had seen few new designs for decades. A diesel-powered example crossed the North Atlantic without a stop in 2004. Engine and avionics configurations vary; the specification table identifies its model.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗Still comfortable after a long day west to east
Ells spent a long day crossing from Paso Robles to Wichita and still felt ready for a photography flight afterwards. He credited the comfortable seats, broad view and smooth engine installation for the unexpectedly low fatigue. During the formation work, the engines responded readily, and the unusual centre stick soon became familiar in his hand. The first landings required more adjustment.
AOPA Pilot · November 2006. Thielert Centurion 1.7-powered N240TS, flown from California towards Oshkosh.
AOPA Pilot · Read more ↗Systems to explore beyond the main displays
Documented features include FADEC/ECU tests, oxygen and ice-protection systems, working circuit breakers with configurable reliability, and parameters saved between flights. Passengers can be configured, while the FMOD sound environment has an in-game volume control. These are the developer’s stated features, separate from the real-aircraft pilot reports.
Diamond DA42 Twin Star · Aerobask · X-Plane 12
Aerobask · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube Flying with Rich · 18 min ·
2023 DA42 Twin Star Flight
A pilot discusses a 2023 DA42's performance and avionics during a flight.
Real aircraft · Diamond DA42 Twin Star
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Diamond DA42 Twin Star
The DA42 was Diamond's first twin-engine aircraft design. It introduced a new European light twin to a class that had seen few new designs for decades. A diesel-powered example crossed the North Atlantic without a stop in 2004. Engine and avionics configurations vary; the specification table identifies its model.
Diamond DA42 Twin Star
Diamond Aircraft → · Explore the family →
Diamond DA42 Twin Star
Wikipedia contributors · Diamond DA42 Twin Star ↗Aerobask · X-Plane 12 →Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
Diamond adds a twin
The DA42 received EASA certification in 2004. Diamond’s timeline then records the establishment of Austro Engine in 2007 and certification of the AE300 in 2009, marking the development of the powerplant associated with the DA42 NG.
Diamond Aircraft · History: Unwavering Commitment to Innovation ↗Manufacturer’s DA42 and Austro chronology
Engine choices changed the cockpit workload
Horne’s contemporary report distinguishes the original Thielert aircraft, the Austro-powered NG and the Lycoming-powered L360. The latter used conventional separate engine controls, making its training environment different from the single-lever diesel versions.
AOPA Pilot · Diamond DA42 do-over ↗AOPA · February 2010 comparison; historical configurations
Development milestones
First flight: 9 December 2002
Wikipedia contributors · Diamond DA42 Twin Star ↗Diamond DA42 Twin Star · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1369946321
Pilot accounts
Still comfortable after a long day west to east
Ells spent a long day crossing from Paso Robles to Wichita and still felt ready for a photography flight afterwards. He credited the comfortable seats, broad view and smooth engine installation for the unexpectedly low fatigue. During the formation work, the engines responded readily, and the unusual centre stick soon became familiar in his hand.
The first landings required more adjustment. He initially overshot the turn to final and found that the low nose changed his normal sight picture. The next circuit was better aligned as he learned the aircraft. On the longer legs, he appreciated selecting power through two levers and letting the engine controls handle the rest.
AOPA Pilot · November 2006. Thielert Centurion 1.7-powered N240TS, flown from California towards Oshkosh.
Read the full account · AOPA Pilot ↗Trying two different answers to the engine question
Horne’s DA42 NG experience included a cross-country from Wiener Neustadt to Fürstenfeldbruck. Once power was set, he found the engine management straightforward; threading through the different airspace along the route occupied more attention. During manoeuvres he noticed little trim change with gear or flap movement, although the short pedals sometimes led him to apply brakes unintentionally while steering on the ground.
The L360 offered a different cockpit task. Its conventional throttle, propeller and mixture levers replaced the diesel model’s two power levers. Horne liked its lively departure on a hot day and concentrated on its behaviour during training demonstrations. He found those exercises conventional in the conditions flown. The two flights show how substantially the operating experience can change beneath the same recognisable DA42 shape.
AOPA Pilot · February 2010. DA42 NG flight with Soeren Pedersen in Europe and a separate Lycoming-powered L360 flight with Rob Johnson in Ontario.
Read the full account · AOPA Pilot ↗Two friends take their touring twin to South Africa
Kautz and Warmerdam chose a jet-fuelled DA42-VI after earlier travels had made finding avgas a recurring difficulty. Their South African journey required extensive preparation, then last-minute changes to the route and permissions. The flying brought snowy Alps, long desert stretches and the satisfaction of watching the navigation display count down to the equator before counting upward again.
The memorable moments were often on the ground: wildlife trips, local hospitality and an unexpected gathering when they reached Stellenbosch. There were also paperwork delays, changing fuel arrangements and tiring legs into headwinds. They praised the aircraft’s economy while acknowledging that cabin width, loading and short-runway performance imposed limits. Their enthusiasm belongs to this particular journey, rather than a promise that every destination or routing would be practical.
Owner account hosted by Diamond Aircraft · February 2020. DA42-VI journey from Germany during November–December 2019; one joint account.
Read the full account · Diamond Aircraft / DiamondDiary ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →X-Plane 12Diamond DA42 Twin Star
Aerobask · Released
Diamond DA42 Twin Star
Aerobask · Released
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024COWS DA42 Series
COWS · Released
COWS DA42 Series
COWS · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 8.56 m (28 ft 1 in) |
| Wingspan | 13.55 m (44 ft 5 in) |
| Height | 2.49 m (8 ft 2 in) |
| Wing area | 16.29 m² (175.3 sq ft) |
| Empty weight | 1,420 kg (3,131 lb) |
| Gross weight | 1,999 kg (4,407 lb) |
| Powerplant | 2 × Austro Engine E4 turbocharged diesel engine , 125 kW (168 hp) each |
| Maximum speed | 365 km/h (227 mph, 197 kn) |
| Cruise speed | 326 km/h (203 mph, 176 kn) |
| Range | 2,250 km (1,400 mi, 1,210 nmi) |
| Service ceiling | 5,486 m (18,000 ft) |
| Rate of climb | 7.9 m/s (1,280 ft/min) |
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
Systems to explore beyond the main displaysDiamond DA42 Twin Star · Aerobask · X-Plane 12
Documented features include FADEC/ECU tests, oxygen and ice-protection systems, working circuit breakers with configurable reliability, and parameters saved between flights. Passengers can be configured, while the FMOD sound environment has an in-game volume control. These are the developer’s stated features, separate from the real-aircraft pilot reports.
Aerobask’s implementation description
Aerobask · Read the source ↗An NG with customised engine and avionics displaysDiamond DA42 Twin Star · Aerobask · X-Plane 12
Aerobask identifies its DA42 as the Austro-powered NG for X-Plane 12. The package enhances Laminar’s G1000 with engine indications, annunciations, touchscreen functions and OscarPilote’s synthetic vision. It also includes a custom MD302 standby attitude module.
Gathered Aerobask DA42 page · package revision not stated
Aerobask · Read the source ↗Pilot account
Still comfortable after a long day west to eastAOPA Pilot · November 2006. Thielert Centurion 1.7-powered N240TS, flown from California towards Oshkosh.
Ells spent a long day crossing from Paso Robles to Wichita and still felt ready for a photography flight afterwards. He credited the comfortable seats, broad view and smooth engine installation for the unexpectedly low fatigue. During the formation work, the engines responded readily, and the unusual centre stick soon became familiar in his hand. The first landings required more adjustment. He initially overshot the turn to final and found that the low nose changed his normal sight picture.
Steven W. Ells
AOPA Pilot · Read the source ↗Trying two different answers to the engine questionAOPA Pilot · February 2010. DA42 NG flight with Soeren Pedersen in Europe and a separate Lycoming-powered L360 flight with Rob Johnson in Ontario.
Horne’s DA42 NG experience included a cross-country from Wiener Neustadt to Fürstenfeldbruck. Once power was set, he found the engine management straightforward; threading through the different airspace along the route occupied more attention. During manoeuvres he noticed little trim change with gear or flap movement, although the short pedals sometimes led him to apply brakes unintentionally while steering on the ground. The L360 offered a different cockpit task.
Thomas A. Horne
AOPA Pilot · Read the source ↗Developer documentation
COWS DA42 Series — product listingCOWS DA42 Series · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
Product listing captured 2026-09-30; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue
www.cows.studio · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Aircraft background
Diamond DA42 Twin StarWikipedia contributors · Research background · retrieved 2026-09-12 History: Unwavering Commitment to InnovationDiamond Aircraft · Manufacturer’s historical timeline · retrieved September 2026Product
DA42Aerobask · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12 COWS | DA42 Serieswww.cows.studio · Product listing captured 2026-09-30; edition scope from the reviewed catalogueType 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 · 4 profile choices
Aerobask DA42 NG
Aerobask · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
Aerobask DA42 NG: The selected resistance accompanies the piston-twin control configuration.
COWS DA42 VI
COWS · Free and Pro · Revision 4 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
COWS DA42 VI: The selected resistance accompanies the piston-twin control configuration.
COWS DA42 TDI
COWS · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
COWS DA42 TDI: The selected resistance accompanies the piston-twin control configuration.
Diamond DA42 Twin Star
Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Partial review
X-Plane 12
Diamond DA42 Twin Star: The selected resistance accompanies the piston-twin control configuration.
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