DA42 Twin Crosses Atlantic Non-Stop First Trans-Atlantic Crossing Of A Diesel Powered Aircraft

August 16th 2004, Diamond test pilot Gerard Guillaumaud ferried the Oshkosh display DA42 Twin Star back to Wiener Neustadt, Austria, to continue optional equipment certification. Remarkably, the twin diesel engine DA42 was flown from London Ontario to Porto Portugal with only one stop, in St. John’s Newfoundland, Canada.

The leg from London to St. John’s (1300 nm), took Guillaumaud 7.5 hrs. The trans atlantic leg of 1900 nm, from St. John’s to Porto Portugal, was completed in 12.5 hrs.

Had it not been for adverse weather conditions in Europe, the remaining 5 hrs of fuel upon landing in Porto would have been sufficient to reach Guillaumaud’s planned destination of Toulouse France, a planned non stop distance of over 2500 nm. Average combined fuel burn for the crossing, flown at 11,000 ft, was an incredible 5.74 gph (2.87 gph per engine)! Guillaumaud set engine power at a fuel conserving 42% and achieved an average ground speed of 152 kts.

The Diamond Star’s optional 78 gallon long range fuel tanks were supplemented with a 26 gallon ferry tank. The total amount of jet fuel consumed for the crossing, 72 gallons, cost less than $200! The point to point travel time was considerably faster than any available commercial flight combination, illustrating the Twin Star’s practicality as a personal or business transportation alternative.

This flight represents the first transatlantic non-stop crossing by a diesel engine powered aircraft and underlines the efficiency and reliability of the DA42 Twin Star TDI.