A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

Contributor - Business Aviation

James Wynbrandt

General aviation and special-mission aircraft manufacturer Diamond Aircraft Industries arrives at LABACE riding strong sales growth in the Brazilian market, with its new twin-engine DA62 platform a particular standout among its all-composite aircraft line. In the first half of this year Diamond delivered two DA62s and booked orders for five more in the country.

 


“The combination of increased useful load, seven-passenger seating, and twin-engine reliability makes the DA62 a perfect fit for the variety of missions flown in Brazil,” said Diamond CEO Scott McFadzean. He credited “the hard work, dedication, and investments made in the country by Aeromot and FBR Aviation,” Diamond’s exclusive sales representatives in Brazil, for the growth. Aeromot’s services include aircraft sales, parts and components, and maintenance.

 


“We welcome all the new Diamond operators in Brazil,” Aeromot Aeronaves e Motores CEO Guilherme Cunha said on the eve of LABACE. “This is a project we are proud to support and invest in.”

 


U.S.-based FBR Aviation provides special-mission aircraft services&nbsp;and supports Diamond sales in Latin America. FBR president Danielle Ulrich called her company “proud of the quick increase in the amount of Diamond Aircraft flying in the Brazilian skies.”

 


In addition to the DA62, Diamond offers the two-place DA20 Katana trainer; and four-place DA40 (NG, Tundra and XLT models); the DART (Diamond Aircraft Reconnaissance Trainer) 450/550 single-engine turboprop, designed for military applications; and the twin-engine DA42-IV Twin Star four-place.

 


Both Diamond twins and the DARTs are available in special-mission Multi Purpose Platform (MPP) configurations for missions including surveillance, shore patrol, and subterranean mineral and ordnance detection. Diamond can supply and integrate customized packages of sensors, datalinks, ground stations, global support, spare parts, tooling, and delivery, as well as all corresponding pilot, equipment operator and maintenance training for the aircraft.

 


The twins, powered by diesel engines made by Diamond-owned Austro Engines, provide excellent operational economy; the DA62 delivers a 192-knot&nbsp;high-speed cruise at 17.1 gph, and in loiter mode burns just 7.4 gph, giving it more than 10 hours' endurance.

 


For potential buyers who would base or fly their aircraft in North America, Diamond is also touting in São Paulo its offering to all new aircraft customers, announced in July, of three free months of SiriusXM Aviation Weather and Information services. In addition to the weather and information, customers will receive the All Access programming package, offering the full spectrum of SiriusXM audio entertainment.

 


The company has manufacturing facilities in Canada and its headquarters in Austria. Established in 1981, in 2017 founder and owner Christian Dries sold Diamond Aircraft to China’s Wanfeng Aviation Industry Co.

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