On 12 June 2023, the DART-750 aerobatic trainer powered by the PT6A-25C turboprop engine made its first flight at Diamond Aircraft’s headquarters in Wiener Neustadt (Austria). In January 2022 Diamond Aircraft announced that the DART-750 will be using the proven and certified 750 SHP PT6A-25C turboprop engine from Pratt & Whitney Canada. Alongside the upgrade of the engine installation, the DART-750 features various system upgrades. Piloted by Diamond’s Head of Flight Test Sören Pedersen and Senior Test Pilot Niko Daroussis, the maiden flight lasted 30 minutes and covered all basic maneuvers including performance and handling checks. The aircraft and all tested parameters did meet or exceed all expectations.
The DART-750 will be a civil certified all composite aerobatic turboprop trainer in tandem seat configuration, equipped with state-of-the-art Garmin G3000 avionics and the powerful 750 SHP PT6A-25C turboprop engine from Pratt & Whitney Canada. Based on the DART-750, Diamond is offering a DART Basic Training Solution, comprising the aircraft, a proprietary DART FNPT II Simulator and DART CBT (Computer Based Training) experience. With the DART Basic Training Solution, Diamond Aircraft will be covering all phases of basic training including GBTS (Ground Based Training Systems) and BTA (Basic Trainer Aircraft).
“This flight marks another major milestone in the DART-750 program and demonstrates the entire team’s hard and excellent work in getting it achieved. The positive results make us confident in moving forward with the program as intended,” said Robert Kremnitzer, Diamonds Head of Design Organization.
The PT6A turboprop has seen 120 enhancements made in the past 10 years alone and is in a class of its own due to its dependability and performance, even in the most challenging of conditions. The PT6A engine has defined General Aviation for more than 60 years and has an engine fleet that has flown more than 440 million hours, with the entire Pratt & Whitney Canada fleet reaching one billion flying hours this year. With more than 52,000 engines produced, the PT6 turboprop is the benchmark in reliability which speaks to its dependable performance in single- and twin-engine aircraft. The DART-750 will be presented to the broader public at Paris Airshow 2023 and basic EASA certification is expected in 2024.
