Between 10 and 12 April, Diamond Aircraft and LAT conducted rigorous operational evaluations on the all-electric eDA40. LAT, a seasoned industry expert, put the aircraft through its paces in their professional flight training environment with the goal of assessing its practicality, efficiency, and overall impact on daily workflows. The results will help Diamond Aircraft to further develop the e-aircraft for flight training while providing valuable data as they explore how to best operate a mixed training fleet of eDA40s and conventional AUSTRO jet-fuel powered DA40 NGs.
Five flights were carried out involving four LAT pilots, working closely together with the Diamond Aircraft Austria team consisting of engineers and flight test pilots on-site. The feedback of LAT’s pilots was invaluable, and the results were unanimous: the product met the expectations. They were astonished how easy the aircraft is to operate and how similar it handles to the DA40 NG. They also positively remarked that the aircraft not only has a lower noise level when flying by, but also is surprisingly quiet inside the cockpit.
Key results
- Seamless integration: the eDA40 seamlessly integrates into existing workflows, enhancing efficiency without disrupting established processes.
- User satisfaction: all participants expressed their satisfaction, emphasizing the product’s user-friendly design and intuitive features.
- Performance excellence: the product’s performance demonstrated its reliability and robustness.
“The European Flight Academy, the flight school of Lufthansa Group, is not only dedicated to highest training standards but also commits itself to new approaches to foster sustainability in aviation. We are delighted to be part of the eDA40 development process. It gives us a deep understanding of the new technology used and enables us to use it for the most advanced training,” sums up Matthias Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa Aviation Training.
“We are thrilled by the positive outcomes of our collaboration with LAT and their valuable feedback and cooperation. Our eDA40 represents our shared vision for excellence and practicality,” said Liqun (Frank) Zhang, CEO Diamond Aircraft Austria. “As we prepare to certify this sustainable solution, Diamond remains committed to innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction. We believe that the successful evaluation of this product marks the beginning of a new era in sustainable professional flight training.”
The eDA40, a derivative of the existing and certified DA40 series, shall be the first certified electric airplane in its category and the greenest way to learn to fly. Basic EASA certification is expected for 2025.