Chris Strahan

Eight-time Diamond Owner

"I got introduced to the DA20 right when I first got back into aviation. I had taken lessons in high school, then stopped. A friend of mine took me to an airport open house, and I saw a DA20 there, 10 years ago. I took an introductory flight in the Diamond - and was hooked. I bought 3 older DA20s initially to put on a local flight line, and traded them up several times to where I now own two DA20 C1s on leaseback at a flight training academy, and a DA40 for my personal aircraft. I am on my 8th Diamond - and really feel like I am part of a family. I got to know the people at the factory - and my distributor has really made it easy for me to keep trading up in the Diamond line."

"My two DA20's on the flight line at Jet U, a Diamond Flight Center in Florida, make a good return for me. They each fly about 70-100 hours a month, and are used heavily in flight training. Both JetU and my distributor, Premier Aircraft Sales, really help make this business work for me, even when there are some tough spots from time to time."

"I fly because I enjoy flying, I really like the experience, and I like to see: I am a fair weather flier. My DA40 is wonderful for that, as it offers such incredible visibility, straight up and down, because the wings are set back - and it's a very stable plane, too, even in gustier winds."

"For plain fun, I really like hopping in the DA20 - it's a sports car in the sky, you almost wear it, and can really throw it around. A DA20 is an awful lot of fun to mess around with, much more so than the older aluminum plane I also owned, which was more like flying a truck."

"For my DA20's on leaseback, the economics are quite good. The DA20 burns only 5 gph - vs. 8-10 in other trainers; a 100 hour on the Diamond takes about 10 hours - vs. 16 hours on the traditional aluminum plane I owned. A lot of things I had to fix on that plane don't even exist on the DA20 - and because it is a composite plane, you don't have to worry about corrosion, and it takes more abuse on a flight line without showing the wear. As far as the students are concerned - it is simply the easiest plane to learn how to fly - period."

"I love the center stick on my Diamonds. I have flown planes with yokes or side yokes - and they just aren't as much fun. In my Diamonds, I can do touch & go landings all day long - I can't do that in some of the other planes. Same with hand flying, which I love to do: it's so easy to fly the Diamond, you can switch hands nicely with the center stick."

"The biggest satisfaction I have had in owning my 8 Diamonds has been working with the people at Diamond. I have been to all the DiamondFest events, and every time I come to the factory, they treat me as though I live there. I really enjoy the people - they make me feel like part of the family. I love my Diamonds - I wouldn't have any other plane right now."

"The G1000 in my DA40 is like I died and went to heaven. I have IFR training, but am not instrument rated - and the G1000 must be the best safety feature should you ever get into inadvertent IMC."

"I have flown a lot of airplanes - and none of them are near as much fun to fly as my Diamonds."