By AOPA ePublishing staff
Diamond Aircraft’s DA42 Twin Star is now certified for flight into known icing conditions.
The turbodiesel twin-engine airplane uses TKS “weeping wing” technology, a $63,000 option on the $532,675 airplane. The deicing system weighs 55 pounds.
The airplane already was approved by European officials for icing conditions. The nod from the FAA allows U.S. owners to get more utility out of their airplanes. Owners who already have the TKS option need to swing by a Diamond service center and have the deicing system checked, as well as install new placards and have the airplane flight manual updated.
“The DA42 is an ideal cross-country traveling plane for pilots who want the ability to go direct, over rugged terrain or open water, and who need to be able to fly when CAVU is nowhere to be found, and when the mercury drops below freezing,” said Heike Larson, Diamond vice president of sales and marketing.
March 27, 2008