Diamond DA20-A1 Katana

This page describes the DA20-A1 — the Rotax-powered Katana, sold today under the name "DA20i." The Continental-powered DA20-C1 Eclipse is a separate purchase with a different engine, different fuel-burn and range, and its own page: Diamond DA20-C1 Eclipse.

The DA20-A1 is a two-seat, low-wing, all-composite trainer built by Diamond Aircraft Industries Inc. in London, Ontario, Canada. It began life in 1994 as the Rotax-912-powered Katana and, after a run of Continental-powered C1 Eclipses aimed at the US flight-training market, Diamond has returned to selling the Rotax airframe as its current production DA20, marketed as the "DA20i Katana" with a more powerful 100 hp Rotax 912 iSc3 Sport engine.

The type certificate is FAA TCDS TA4CH, not an EASA sheet. The design was approved first by Transport Canada Civil Aviation (Canadian type certificate A-191); the FAA validated it under 14 CFR 21.29 and issued its own type certificate directly to the Canadian manufacturer. There is no EASA number in this airplane's history at all — an earlier version of this page cited "A41EU," which is not a Diamond certificate; it is the FAA sheet for the Short Brothers SD3-30/360 Sherpa. That was a wrong-document error, corrected here.

A weight disagreement, recorded rather than resolved. Diamond's current spec sheet states 1,764 lb max take-off mass for the DA20i — identical to the DA20-C1's certificated weight. FAA TCDS TA4CH, Revision 17 (the current status record as of this retrieval), authorizes only 1,609 lb (912 A3/F3) or 1,653 lb (912 S3) for any DA20-A1 configuration; 1,764 lb appears nowhere in Section I. This page stores 1,653 lb — the certificate's higher Rotax weight — because the certificate is the legal limit and outranks a marketing page. If a newer TC amendment authorizing 1,764 lb for the Rotax airframe exists, it postdates this session's retrieval and should be checked before this figure is changed.

No single row of any source found this session states cruise speed, fuel burn and range together at one power setting. Diamond's current spec sheet gives "max. cruise speed" (122 kt) with no altitude or power percentage stated, and separately gives a matched range/burn pair (703 nm / 2.9 gal/h) at "8,000 ft, LRC PWR, no reserve" — a different, also-unlabelled setting. Rather than pair the unmatched cruise speed with the LRC burn and range (the exact mismatched-triple trap this catalogue exists to avoid), cruise_percent_bhp and cruise_altitude_ft are left blank: cruise_speed_ktas is the max-cruise figure, fuel_burn_gph and range_nm are the LRC figures, and none of the three should be read as describing one flight.

"No reserve" is stated on the range figure. 703 nm is not a fuel-planning number; it is the certificated-fuel-to-empty distance the manufacturer publishes, and a real trip needs a reserve subtracted from it.

Takeoff and landing distances are single-sourced (Diamond's current spec sheet only) and describe standard equipped aircraft at MTOM, ISA, sea level — no second source was checked this session; treat as a single-source figure per the runbook's cross-check list.

DA20-A1 / DA20i (100 hp Rotax 912 iSc3, 20.3 gal usable, 1,653 lb TCDS gross):

At 495 lb useful load, two average adults with full fuel leave little margin for baggage — tighter than the previous (uncorrected) page's 598 lb figure implied, because that figure used the manufacturer's uncertificated 1,764 lb gross weight rather than the certificate's 1,653 lb. This is the practical consequence of the weight disagreement above: a buyer planning a loaded cross-country in this airplane should confirm the individual airframe's actual certificated gross weight from its own weight-and-balance report before planning around either number.

• Flight Training (9): Docile, efficient, modern two-seat trainer. Diamond markets the current DA20i squarely at flight schools and universities.
• Backcountry (1): Not applicable — low wing, hard-surface trainer.
• Business Travel (1): Two seats, no baggage capacity for business use.
• Aerobatics (1): Not aerobatic certified.
• Cross-Country (4): 703 nm range (no reserve) is workable for a two-seat cross-country machine, but baggage and payload are tight.
• Cargo Hauling (1): Minimal baggage area.
• Local Fun Flying (7): Efficient and enjoyable for local flying; the sliding canopy and low wing give excellent visibility.
• Surveying (3): Two seats only limits payload for equipment and an observer.

• Basic panel: Standard six-pack with single nav/com, appropriate for a primary trainer.
• Upgraded: Garmin G5 / GI-275 flight instruments and a GTN navigator are the common retrofit path on older A1 airframes; current-production DA20i aircraft are typically ordered with a factory glass panel.

Composite construction limits the aftermarket sharply. No engine-conversion STCs were found for the Rotax airframe this session; the airplane is sold as delivered.

• Parts availability: Diamond maintains an active service network; Rotax parts are widely available through the broader Rotax dealer network (not Diamond-exclusive).
• Mechanic familiarity: Rotax engines require Rotax-specific training, which not every field A&P carries — flag this for a buyer new to Rotax ownership.
• Engine overhaul cost: intentionally left blank — see validator_exempt.engine_overhaul_cost_usd above.

Prices below are asking-price data from the site's own listings sync (2026-07-14), not a Vref or Aircraft Bluebook considered value — this session had no access to either guide. Per the runbook, a listings-derived figure is treated as the top of a range rather than the middle, and is dated for that reason. Used A1/Katana airframes from the 1990s-2000s ask roughly $80,000-$150,000; current-production DA20i aircraft ask $319,900-$399,900 new in the same listings snapshot. Buying the Aircraft Bluebook or a Vref subscription would close this gap outright — see the confidence note.

• Composite repair requires a certified composite shop; this is true of every Diamond in the catalogue.
• Rotax 912 gearbox inspection is a recurring maintenance item across the Rotax 912 family generally (see reference/mogas-approval.md and the Rotax service-instruction passages already in the vault for the fuel side of this engine's requirements).
• No AD research specific to the DA20-A1 airframe was carried out this session; this section should not be read as a complete AD history.

Rotax-powered two-seat fixed-gear trainer: among the least expensive GA airplanes to insure. No fresh insurance-broker quote was sourced this session; the figure is left off this page's Insurance section rather than repeating an uncited number (typical_hull_insurance_annual_usd is not populated).