In the world of modern general aviation, there are a few manufacturers that stand out among the rest. In my eyes, one of those companies is Diamond with sleek, modern design elements, and modern full-featured avionics. Diamond’s lineup starts at the single-engine, 2-seat DA20 Katana and goes up to the twin-engine DA62. The DA50RG is the newest addition to Diamond's lineup and fits the gap between the smaller DA42 Twin Star and the DA62. It features a nearly identical fuselage design to the DA62, also holding the same 5 passengers, however, the main difference comes with the single Continental CD-300 Diesel engine mounted to the front of the aircraft.

Now, as a huge Diamond fan, I’ve been waiting for someone to develop a DA50 for Microsoft Flight Simulator, so when I heard Skyward Simulations had one in development I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible, and thankfully the developer was willing to help us out with a review copy. Before I get into things, I feel it’s important to note that while I did receive a copy of the aircraft for free to review, this is in no way sponsored by Skyward Simulations or any of their partners, and there is no expectation of a favourable review in return. That being said, this is a quite favourable review, read on to find out why.

Aircraft Systems

The DA50RG features the Working Title Garmin G1000NXI avionics suite we’ve all come to know and love. Both screens are sharp and legible and are as customizable as you’d expect from the G1000. Filling in navigation info is also made easier with the ability to use your keyboard to type. The avionics also feature a properly simulated electronics bus allowing for the main avionics panels to run independently of the back up instruments. During one of my review flights, I was able to experience a full loss of my main avionics and was able to properly simulate the proper emergency procedures. My only wish with the aircraft systems is for a tablet to control aircraft options similar to those found in Just Flight’s Piper products. The lack of a tablet doesn’t hurt the aircraft overall, it’s more of a wish than a need.

Flight Model

The DA50 is truly one of the nicest planes I’ve flown in the sim recently. I don’t personally have real-world experience in a Diamond aircraft however as someone who’s spent many hours dreaming of owning one the only way I can explain how the flight model feels is that it’s pretty much exactly what I’d expect a DA50 to handle like. With its nearly 13.5M (nearly 44ft) wingspan, the DA50 comfortably laughs in the face of high winds and turbulence. I did a majority of my test flights into or out of Lethbridge Airport (CYQL) which is fairly notorious for having high, gusty winds. I never once had a departure or arrival where I was worried about the aircraft becoming unstable.

Sounds

While I don’t have a ton to say about the sounds of this aircraft that’s in no way indicative of them being at all disappointing, I think we’ve just been extremely blessed to have so many add-ons that feature excellent sounds for Microsoft Flight Simulator that it’s become more of an expectation at this point. That being said, the sounds of the DA50 were produced by Boris Audio Works. Boris has worked to bring many other aircraft to life with his high-quality sound packs. His work on the DA50 has proven to be quite incredible and an absolute treat to those with a penchant for high-quality audio.

Exterior model

The external model of the DA50 is absolutely beautiful. The reflections and texture of the different surfaces are truly what shines here. Even with some of the more matte-finished liveries you can distinctly pick out different materials and all the panel gaps and rivets. On a few of my daytime flights, I had trouble staying in the cockpit and not in a third-person camera admiring the work that was put into the 3D model to make the DA50 look as good as it does.

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Final thoughts‍

I have been floored by how much I’ve enjoyed this plane. It's taken me quite a bit longer to write this review than others simply because I’ve been wanting to fly it so much, If you’re looking for a GA aircraft that’s going to allow you to fly fair distances (up to 820nm at FL180) as well as something that's going to be able to get into small unimproved strips the DA50 should be considered.