Diamond DV20

DA20/DV20 Katana
Flying Colors Precision Flight Team (DA20-A1-K100 Katana)
Role	Two-seat light aircraft
National origin	Austria (DV20) Canada (DA20)
Manufacturer	Diamond Aircraft
First flight	1991
Introduction	1992
Produced	1994–present
Unit cost	$184,980 (2009 base price)
Developed from	Diamond HK36 Super Dimona
Developed into	Diamond DA40

The Diamond DV20/DA20 Katana is an Austrian-designed two-seat tricycle gear general aviation light aircraft. The design was later built in Canada as the DA20 for the North American market.

The two-seat DV20 Katana was based on the Super Dimona with reduced wingspan. It was produced in Austria by HOAC (later changed its name to Diamond Aircraft). The Katana first flew in 1991 and gained certification in 1993. The Katana was first shown in public at the 1993 Paris Air Show.

The company built a factory in Canada to produce the DV20 which was designated the DA20. The first DA20 was the Rotax 912 powered A1 Katana produced in Canada in 1994. It was the first Diamond aircraft available for sale in North America. Production of the Continental IO-240-B3B powered C1 Evolution and Eclipse models began in 1998, also in Canada. Production of the A1 Katana is complete but the DA20-C1 is still being constructed in 2010.

The DA20-A1 and C1 are both certified under CAR 523 in Canada and under FAR 23 in the USA. The DA20 is certified in the utility category, and it is permissible to intentionally spin it with flaps in the full up position. In 2004, Diamond received Chinese certification for the DA20. Both models also hold JAA certification.

Although the DA20 is available with instrumentation and avionics suitable for flight under instrument flight rules (IFR), its plastic airframe lacks lightning protection and thus does not qualify for IFR certification.

The Katana is a low-wing cantilever monoplane which features control sticks (as opposed to yokes), composite construction, a bubble canopy, low-mounted wing, 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 Rotax engine variants are approved for use with automotive gasoline.