Diamond DA20 - Design

Design

The DA20 features control sticks (as opposed to yokes), composite construction, a canopy, low-mounted wings, a single fuel tank, a T-tail, and a castering nosewheel. All models have composite airframes constructed of glass- and carbon-fiber reinforced plastic. The nose wheel of the DA20 is not linked to the rudder pedals and turns while taxiing are made with differential braking, with rudder steering becoming more effective as airspeed increases.

The DA20 is equipped with a bubble canopy. Small windows on either side of the canopy can be opened on the ground and in flight to provide cockpit ventilation. This canopy design, however, lets in an above-average amount of sunlight into the cockpit, increasing the cockpit's initial temperature. The DA20's seats are reclined and are not adjustable, instead the rudder pedals are adjustable fore and aft to accommodate pilots of different height. The fixed seats provide better occupant crash protection. The seats in the C1 variant have a less obtuse angle, but, like the A1, are not adjustable. Both models are available with cloth or leather seat coverings.

The DA-20 possesses a higher glide ratio than many of its competitors. The glide ratio of the DA20-C1 is 11:1 and the DA20-A1 is 14:1.

In November 2008 the company announced that it would be offering an Aspen Avionics glass cockpit primary flight display as an option on the DA20. Diamond indicated the Aspen PFD was easy to incorporate into the existing instrument panel design because it mounts in a standard round instrument hole. In October 2009 the company introduced the Garmin G500 glass cockpit as an option.