Flight training with Diamond DA20, DA40 and DA42 aircraft - Keilir Aviation Academy

The Keilir fleet is the most innovative available in modern flight instruction. In 2008, Keilir signed a purchase contract with Diamond Aircraft Industries on the purchase of five aircraft, two DA-20-C1, two DA-40TDI and one DA-42TDI. All aircraft are fully operational. Please reference the Diamond Aircraft homepage for further details and specifications of this modern design.

DA 20 - C1 Eclipse

DA-20 Eclipse Two seats for training and a 125 horsepower engine that uses 22 liters / 5,8 gallons of fuel per hour makes the DA-20-C1 a very economical, simple and suitable trainer. The U.S. Air Force uses this type for its pilots for initial flight training. The Eclipse is an excellent aircraft where the controls and cockpit are designed to harmonise the "cooperation" of man and machine. Superb visibility and great performance make each and every flight something to look forward to. 

As with aviation in general, safety is our number one priority at Keilir Aviation Academy. This made Diamond Aircraft a logical choice when selecting a manufacturer for our fleet. The body of Diamond aeroplanes is made of robust and highly durable composite fibres making them a particularly sturdy design, a fact well known to the manufactures of larger modern airlines such as the Boeing 787, constructed mostly of similar composite fibres.

The properties of the material make it possible to build the aircraft not only exceptionally strong but it also increases the aerodynamic efficiency of the design. The strength of the fuselage protects the occupants from the unforeseen with the seats and cabin designed to withstand 26 g´s of acceleration. This specification surpasses the human body´s own ability to withstand high g loads normally limited to 25 g´s.

The Diamond aircraft of Keilir are all equipped with avionics enabling them to fly in daylight as well as for night time conditions. The engines of the DA-40 and the DA-42 are highly developed aircraft diesel engines that use jet fuel, making them very fuel efficient and environmentally friendly.

To add to an already impressive description, the DA-40 and DA-42 are equipped innovative computer controlled avionics that display all necessary flight data on two large flat panel displays. This system is made by Garmin, known as the G1000, and is very popular on smaller commercial aircraft because of its user friendliness and application possibilities. Ironically, it is more advanced than avionics on many of today's larger airliners.

DA-20-C1 Aircraft Flight Manual AFM

DA-40 TDI

The DA-40 is equipped with the same Garmin G1000 avionics as the DA-42 giving the student more advantage when transitioning from the single engine to the twin engine aircraft as less time is spent on the avionics. This gives the student more time to focus on the aircraft itself. The engines on the DA-40 and the DA-42 are made by Thielert, TAE-125-02, 2.0 L turbo-diesel intercooled aircraft engines.

The engines are computer controlled FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) to maximize performance and economy.

These engines use 50% less fuel than similar sized 4 seat aircraft and the increasingly important carbon footprint is just a fraction of what people are used to from other older aircraft engines. Noise is also very low in comparison with similar sized aircraft making it friendly to the environment and airport neighbours.

DA-40 D AFM

DA-42 NG - with Synthetic Vision System

The DA-42 has four seats for training and private and/or business flying.  Two 167 horsepower engines with a jet fuel consumption of only 23 liters / 5.9 gallons per engine per hour at 70% power. The ONLY training aircraft in this category that is certified for flight into known icing conditions. A very important factor when training in the Icelandic meteorological environment. 

The avionics are very advanced and include a digital autopilot, similar to modern day jet airliners. The SVS (Synthetic Vision System) provides optimum situational awareness and is exremely useful in the mountaneous areas of Iceland. A flight from our base in Keflavik to Akureyri in the North takes 1 hour and 10 minutes. The twin engine DA-42 can fly on one engine over all mountains and glaciers in Iceland. That is a lot more than similar twin engine trainers can offer (see here). The diesel engine fuel consumption is approximately 23 liters / 5.9 gallons per engine per hour at 70% power. That is close to 40% less fuel per hour than the Piper Seminole.

The engines are very simple to operate. On the twin engine aircraft, you only need one action to shut an engine down and secure it for continuation of the flight on the remaining engine. To start an engine again, you only need two separate actions: Power lever - IDLE, and engine master switch - ON. It's really that simple. The engines are rated at 167 horsepower and climb power is 92% of that power and can be maintained to 15.000 feet. Similar normally aspirated engines produce 180 horsepower at sea level, but have lost a signifcant part of that power when reaching 8.000 feet.

A very important safety factor in a twin engine training aircraft is its capability to reduce all power on one engine for training purposes, training for assymetric thrust and flight, in-flight emergency training and abnormal engine conditions. In these cases normally aspirated engines are at risk in cold weather conditions. The reason for this is that in general, engines like that are air cooled and reducing all power can cause the cylinders to cool too quickly, “choking” the pistons that may cause damage. Wear is significantly increased and the integrity of the engine compromised. The new diesel engines eliminate that threat. As the engines are liquid cooled they can maintain optimum operating temperature, even if the engine power is reduced to idle during engine-out excercises.

DA-42 NG AFM