The Diamond D-Jet (S/N 001) single-engine very light jet flew for the first time on April 18 from London International Airport in Ontario, Canada, home of Diamond’s North American division. The company said the one-hour six-minute flight “went according to plan, with the evaluation of 19 test points.” After takeoff at 5:08 p.m. EST and climb to 12,000 feet, test pilot Gerard Guillaumaud evaluated the five-seat Williams FJ33-4-powered jet’s stability and control with flaps and landing gear extended and retracted. Test speeds ranged from slow flight at 1.1 Vs to 160 kias. Diamond North America president Peter Mauer told AIN that all planned tests were completed successfully, adding that the flight was “uneventful.”

Preliminary specifications of the D-Jet, which comes standard with a three-screen Garmin G1000 avionics system, include a 5,071-pound mtow, 315-knot max cruise speed, 25,000-foot ceiling and a 1,351-nm range. Diamond claims orders for some 125 of the “under $1 million” aircraft. Certification is scheduled for late next year.