Diamond DA20-A1 Katana vs Diamond Star DA40

Side-by-side specs, range, and real operating costs for up to 5 aircraft.

Aircraft

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Mission Performance

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Values normalised across compared aircraft. Fuel Economy is inverted (lower burn = higher score). See table below for raw figures.

Mission Performance Details

Metric Diamond DA20-A1 Katana Diamond Aircraft Industries Diamond Star DA40 Diamond Aircraft Industries
Stall Speed 41 kts 52 kts
Approach Speed 54 kts 66 kts
Cruise Speed 117 kts 150 kts
Range 450 nm 724 nm
Service Ceiling 14,000 ft 16,400 ft
Rate of Climb 680 fpm 1,120 fpm
Fuel Burn 4.4 gph 10.0 gph

Flight Profile

Service ceiling, range, and climb rate.

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Arc represents the climb-cruise-descent profile based on published service ceiling and range. Climb rate annotated on ascent. FL180 (18,000 ft) shown for reference.

Fuel Burn & Range

Range, endurance, and what the fuel costs by the hour.

Diamond DA20-A1 Katana Avgas
4.4 gph
baseline
450 nm range 20 gal usable 4h 32m endurance 26.6 nm/gal $29 fuel/hr
Diamond DA20-A1 Katana: 4.4 gallons per hour at cruise, 450 nautical mile published range, 4 hour 32 minute endurance, 26.6 nautical miles per gallon.
Diamond Star DA40 Avgas
10.0 gph
+5.6 gph
724 nm range 50 gal usable 5h 00m endurance 15.0 nm/gal $65 fuel/hr
Diamond Star DA40: 10.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 724 nautical mile published range, 5 hour 0 minute endurance, 15.0 nautical miles per gallon.
Avgas range each cell = 1 hr of cruise · width scales with speed

Bars show published still-air range. Endurance is usable fuel divided by the published cruise burn. Estimates only. Always verify against the POH.

Runway Performance

Density altitude adjusted estimates

Outside Air Temp
0°F57°F115°F
Field Elevation
SL4,0008,000 ft
Density Altitude

Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle

Landing ground roll

Base distance DA penalty
Scale: 6,000 ft

FAA 10%/1,000 ft DA rule of thumb (FAA-H-8083-25B). Turboprops and jets are less sensitive in practice. Always verify against the POH.

Estimated Operating Costs

Scale:
Diamond DA20-A1 KatanaAvgas
$74 /hr
Diamond DA20-A1 Katana: $74 per flight hour — fuel $29, maintenance and reserve $45.
Diamond Star DA40Avgas
$114 /hr
Diamond Star DA40: $114 per flight hour — fuel $65, maintenance and reserve $49.
Diamond DA20-A1 Katana Piston
$8,546 /yr
Diamond DA20-A1 Katana: $8,546 per year — insurance $1,500, hangar $5,846, annual inspection $1,200.
Diamond Star DA40 Piston
$11,221 /yr
Diamond Star DA40: $11,221 per year — insurance $2,500, hangar $6,921, annual inspection $1,800.

Estimates only. Costs vary by location, pilot profile, and market conditions. See individual aircraft pages for source notes.

Capability & limits

Each bar stacks your selected occupants against full fuel and the aircraft's useful-load limit (the black line). The open gap between them is spare payload. Add an occupant and the gap closes; once it's gone, fuel has to give.

190 + 30 lb Occupants
×
1
Diamond DA20-A1 Katana
2 / 2 seats 20 / 20 gal fuel 394 lb wet payload 514 lb useful 1,609 lb MTOW
Diamond Star DA40
4 / 4 seats 50 / 50 gal fuel 550 lb wet payload 850 lb useful 2,646 lb MTOW

Occupants at 190 + 30 lb each. Fuel at 6.7 lb/gal jet-A, 6.0 lb/gal avgas.

Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Diamond DA20-A1 Katana
35.6 × 23.5 ft 6.9 ft tall
1× Piston Fixed Unpressurized
Diamond Star DA40
39.2 × 26.3 ft 6.5 ft tall
1× Piston Fixed Unpressurized

Payload-Range Map

Full fuel ← → Max payload

Origin: · two fingers to move map

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