staff@slashgear.com (Jowi Morales)
2024-04-07 07:45:53
www.slashgear.com
The Diamond DA20 Katana is another relatively new design, introduced only in 1992. But despite its young age, it’s already popular among established flight schools. The flight training programs of some major airlines, like the EVA Flight Training Academy of EVA Air and the Qantas Group Pilot Academy, also use the DA20 or its larger DA40 variant for their students.
The DA20’s modern design and low price make it popular among training institutions. Unlike the SR20, which costs nearly half a million dollars, the DA20 Katana starts at just $280,000.
Nevertheless, you still get a lot of aircraft for that price. It has a 122-knot cruising speed and a 703-nautical mile range. It uses modern Garmin G500TXi avionics, and you can pick between a 100 horsepower Bombardier Rotax Sport engine or a 125 horsepower fuel-injected Continental IO-240 engine to power your plane.
Like the Tomahawk, the DA20 uses a canopy design for improved all-around visibility. However, this plane is unique because its canopy opens like that of Lockheed Martin’s best jets – the F-22 Raptor or the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
If you would like to learn how to fly and have the money, buying a new or used plane can be a more cost-efficient way of getting your private pilot’s license. That’s because you can fly anytime, don’t have to compete against others for schedules, and you can eventually use your training plane as your personal aircraft in the future. Or, if you’re more enterprising, you can even rent it out to other pilots who want to build their hours or fly for fun.