Today’s Top Pick is a 2022 Diamond DA50.

Many pilots have seen the DA50 RG over the last two years or so. Those among us who are lucky have seen one up close, possibly at an airshow or trade gathering, sat in the cockpit and imagined ourselves at the controls on our way to a favorite destination.

This aircraft presents an opportunity to acquire a DA50 with low time instead of signing onto a long waiting list to buy one new from the factory.

Austria-based Diamond’s aircraft have sparked great interest in the U.S. for years because of their novel designs, composite structures, and efficient, economical jet-A fueled power plants that start with the press of a button instead of the lever gymnastics to which many of us are accustomed. One look at a DA50, or a skim of its POH, confirms that it is a modern airplane, not one designed during the middle of the last century.

This Diamond DA50 RG has 392 hours on the airframe, its 300 hp Continental CD-300 turbocharged, FADEC controlled diesel engine, and MT three-blade propeller. The aircraft is equipped with air conditioning, a TKS de-icing system and supplemental oxygen system.

The IFR panel features Garmin G1000 NXi avionics with dual GDU 105 10-inch displays for PFD and MFD, a Garmin GEA 71B airframe/engine interface, dual Garmin GIA 64W GPS/nav/comms with glidescope and localizer indicators, a GMA 1360 audio panel, GRS 79 AHRS, GDC 72 digital air data computer, GMU 44 magnetometer, GTX 345R transponder with ADS-B In and Out, GFC 700 autopilot, digital standby attitude module, Garmin Flight Stream 510, synthetic vision, WX 500 Stormscope, Avidyne TAS 605A traffic advisory system, GSR 56 Iridium satellite datalink, and Honeywell KN 63 DME.

Pilots looking for an advanced, fast, and efficient traveling aircraft that features familiar, easy-to-use automotive-style systems, should consider this 2022 Diamond DA50 RG which is available on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use its airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: We Fly: Diamond DA50 RG, the High-Performance Retract That Shines
• FLYING Magazine: First Diamond DA50 RG Sold at EAA AirVenture
• FLYING Magazine: Premier Aircraft Sales Takes First U.S. Retail Delivery of Diamond DA50 RG
• Plane & Pilot: Diamond DA50 RG Works to Create a Niche in North American Market
• Plane & Pilot: Will the Diamond DA50 Redefine Personal Flying?
• The Aviation Consumer: Diamond Gasses It: New Singles Planned
• AVweb: AirVenture 2021: Diamond’s New DA50 RG Debuts at Oshkosh

The post This 2022 Diamond DA50 Is an Advanced-But-Simplified ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to announce this acquisition of Cessna Skyhawks, which marks a significant milestone in our commitment to providing top-tier aviation education,” said Matthew Johnston, president of CAU. “These new aircraft will help elevate our flight training degree programs, ensuring our students receive the best possible learning experience and preparing them for successful careers in the aviation industry.”

• READ MORE: Cessna 172 Skyhawk Avionics

According to school officials, the aircraft will be utilized at their locations in Bakersfield, San Diego, and Ventura, California, as well as in Mesa, Arizona.

The new aircraft will add to CAU’s current fleet of Skyhawks and Beechcraft Barons. School officials say the flight program continues to grow, and the aircraft are necessary to help maintain an “optimal student-to-aircraft ratio at the university.”

Backbone of Training Fleet

Designed in the 1950s, the Cessna Skyhawk, also known as the C-172, has been the backbone of the training fleet for more than 60 years. It’s difficult, almost impossible, to find a pilot who hasn’t logged time in a Skyhawk. The design began with a round-dial panel, manual flaps, and straight tail. Today it features the shark-fin tail and a full-glass panel sporting Garmin G1000 NXi avionics with wireless connectivity, standard angle-of-attack display system, and proven dependability. The aircraft is equipped with a McCauley aluminum fixed-pitch propeller and a 180 hp Lycoming IO-360-L2A engine.

• READ MORE: ATP Flight School to Add 40 Cessna Skyhawks to Training Fleet

According to Textron, more than 45,000 Skyhawks have been delivered around the world.

“For more than six decades, the Skyhawk has been at the forefront of innovation, empowering aspiring pilots and setting new standards in flight training,” said Chris Crow, vice president of Textron Aviation piston sales. “We are delighted to continue inspiring the journey of flight by providing California Aeronautical University students access to the most-produced, single-engine aircraft globally.”

The post California Aeronautical University Expands Training Fleet With Skyhawk Buy appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 2008 Cessna 510 Citation Mustang.

The development and market debut of the Cessna Citation Mustang caused a sensation in the early 2000s as very light jet (VLJ) concepts began to proliferate, often touting ambitious performance goals and prices that seemed impossibly low.

Cessna designed the Mustang to compete with small jets from the likes of Embraer, Cirrus, Piper, and Eclipse. Some of those models took longer than expected to enter service while others didn’t last long or never made it to production. Cessna stayed the course, though, and turned out Mustangs for several years. For many pilots, the model came to represent the ideal entry-level jet.

This 2008 Mustang has 1,845 hours on the airframe and on both of its Pratt & Whitney PW615F-A engines since new. The aircraft has logged 1,212 landings. Its upgraded panel features the Garmin G1000 NXi integrated avionics suite with dual 10.4-inch primary flight displays and a 15-inch multifunction display with synthetic vision dual Garmin GRS 77 altitude and heading reference systems, Garmin GMA 1360D audio panel, Garmin ADF, dual Garmin GIA 63W (WAAS/LPV), Bendix/King KN 63 DME, dual Garmin GTX 345R transponders, Garmin GFC 700 autopilot, Garmin Flight Stream 510, and more.

The cabin includes seven seats and an interior that was refinished in 2021 with seats covered in tan perforated leather with diamond stitching and blue piping. The aircraft was repainted in 2019 and looks sharp. Seats are situated in a double club arrangement with a nonbelted lavatory, storage cabinets, and dual executive writing tables.

If you are ready to move up to a light jet designed for single-pilot operation, consider this Cessna Citation 510 Mustang, which is available for $2,295,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Financial Group. For more information, email info@flyingfinancial.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Putting the Cessna Mustang to Work
• FLYING Magazine: Cessna Mustang Hits the Mark
• Plane & Pilot: Citation Step-Up Magic
• Plane & Pilot: Owners’ Analysis: Eclipse, Mustang & Phenom
• The Aviation Consumer: Cessnas Mustang: On Time Performance

The post Today’s Top Aircraft For Sale Pick: 2008 Cessna 510 Citation Mustang appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

• READ MORE: Huntsville aka ‘Rocket City’ Packs a Punch for Aerospace Fans

Modern: Diamond DA62

When Diamond debuted its first light twin—the DA42—it hit a niche that resonated with the training market and private owners alike. With the DA62, it takes those owners a step up in performance and capability to target their mission. And it does it in a way that evokes the lines of spacecraft, like those envisioned by the Star Trek series.

• READ MORE: We Fly: Diamond DA62

The move up in horsepower drives the change, going from the pair of 168 hp Austro Engine AE 300s to the 180 hp AE 330s, to elicit greater climb performance, slightly longer range, and more useful load. With a max gross weight of 5,071 pounds, the DA62 can carry a load of up to 1,565 pounds. To help achieve this, Diamond extended the fuselage by roughly 2 feet, and the wingspan by more than 3 feet.

Its modern looks go well with the DA62’s ability to operate on a wide range of fuels, owing to those AE 330s: jet-A and at least four variants, depending on where you are based in the world. This makes the DA62 a uniquely sustainable mount among light twins. At max cruise, you can power along at 191 ktas, but if you dial it back to economy cruise at 60 percent power, you’ll burn only 11.8 gph.

Up front, the DA62 features the Garmin G1000 NXi integrated flight deck, with the GFC700 autopilot and enhanced stability protection, among other types of safety features. A single power lever controls the powerplant for ease in engine management, and you can choose options such as weather radar, and synthetic vision.

• READ MORE: A Trio of Huntsville Airports for Your Visit to ‘Rocket City’

Grass: Maule for Moontown (3M5)

The Maule family has been building a wide range of light single-engine airplanes for more than 80 years—since it was founded by B.D. and June Maule in 1941. The facility in Moultrie still cranks out several nosewheel and conventional gear models for you to choose from, with a variety of engines and avionics. For your trip into Moontown’s grass strip, you might pick out a Maule MX-7.

• READ MORE: Choose Your Mount: The Maules Do It All

The MX-7-180 B and C versions boast a tailwheel—and they’re powered by the 180 hp Lycoming O-360-C1F, with a 2,000 hour TBO. The useful load ranges from 935 to 1,030 pounds, making it a reasonable hauler for your camping gear and other accoutrements. If a nosewheel is more your style, you can choose the straight MX-7-180. Maule is well known for offering just the right list of specs to suit a particular mission.

Regardless of which MX-7 you choose, with a takeoff ground roll of just 300 feet and a landing distance over an obstacle of roughly 900 feet, you’ll make short work of the 2,180-foot strip at 3M5.

This article was first published in the 2022 Southeast Adventure Guide of FLYING Magazine.

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