Diamond DA20-C1 Eclipse

This page describes the DA20-C1 Eclipse — the Continental IO-240-powered Diamond DA20, built primarily for the US flight-training market from 1998. It shares a fuselage and wing with the Rotax-powered DA20-A1/DA20i, but a 28.2%(range)/faster-cruise/thirstier-burn profile that adds up to genuinely different ownership economics. The Rotax variant has its own page: Diamond DA20-A1 Katana.

Why this is a separate page. Applying the splitting rule: Step 1 (hard splits — engine count, engine class, seats, gear, pressurization, type certificate) does not fire between the A1 and C1 — both are single-engine, fixed-gear, 2-seat, unpressurized airplanes on the SAME type certificate (TA4CH). Step 2 (numeric thresholds) DOES fire: Diamond's own current spec sheet gives a matched range comparison (both variants at "8,000 ft, LRC PWR, no reserve") of 703 nm (A1/DA20i) against 532 nm (C1) — a 32% spread, over the rule's 25% threshold for range_nm. Useful load and gross weight both stay under their thresholds, so range alone is what forces this. This is recorded here as the deciding test rather than the (also real) buyer-facing differences in fuel type sensitivity and mogas eligibility, which support the same conclusion but were not, on their own, the trigger.

Both pages remain live — nothing 301s. No SPLIT_REDIRECTS entry was needed: diamond-da20 was never retired, it simply now describes ONE variant (the A1/DA20i) instead of conflating both. See src/lib/aircraft/split-redirects.ts for the note explaining why this split has no redirect entry, unlike every other split in that file.

No single row of Diamond's current spec sheet states cruise speed, fuel burn and range together at one power setting for this variant either. "Max. cruise speed" (130 kt) carries no stated altitude or power percentage; the matched range/burn pair (532 nm / 5.1 gal/h) is at "8,000 ft, LRC PWR, no reserve" — a separate, also-unlabelled setting. cruise_percent_bhp and cruise_altitude_ft are left blank for the same reason as the A1 page: three individually-sourced figures, not one flight.

Fuel capacity is serial-number dependent — see the Variants table. This page stores the S/N C0014-and-later figure (24 gal usable) because it is the figure Diamond's current spec sheet also states, giving a tier-1/tier-2 match; an earlier-serial C1 (S/N C0001-C0013, no service bulletin) carries only 21.3 gal usable and every fuel-weight and range number on this page overstates that specific airframe by roughly 13%.

DA20-C1 (125 hp Continental IO-240-B, 24 gal usable, 1,764 lb gross):

584 lb useful load is workable for two adults with full fuel and light baggage — more headroom than the corrected A1/DA20i figure, because the C1's 1,764 lb gross weight is the certificate's own figure for this variant (no disagreement here, unlike the A1).

• Flight Training (9): The higher-powered, faster-burning half of the DA20 line; still an excellent, docile primary trainer, and the more common variant in US flight-school fleets historically.
• Backcountry (1): Not applicable.
• Business Travel (1): Two seats, no baggage capacity.
• Aerobatics (1): Not aerobatic certified.
• Cross-Country (4): 532 nm range (no reserve) at 130 kt — faster but shorter-legged than the Rotax A1.
• Cargo Hauling (1): Minimal baggage area.
• Local Fun Flying (7): Fun and capable; higher fuel burn than the A1 makes it a slightly costlier local-flying choice.
• Surveying (3): Two seats only limits payload for equipment.

• Typical: Basic six-pack trainer panel, single nav/com.
• Upgraded: Garmin G5/GI-275 and GTN-series retrofits are common on the used market, same as the A1.

None found. The IO-240-B is the only engine option on this certificate section; composite construction limits the aftermarket generally, as with every Diamond in this family.

• Parts availability: Continental IO-240 parts are broadly available through the standard Continental dealer network.
• Mechanic familiarity: Any A&P familiar with small Continental engines can service this airplane — less specialized than the Rotax A1 in this respect.
• Engine overhaul cost: left blank — see validator_exempt above; the house reference file has no IO-240 entry yet.

Prices are asking-price data from the site's own listings sync (2026-07-14), not a Vref or Aircraft Bluebook value — no guide access this session. Used C1 Eclipses ask roughly $55,000-$140,000 typically, with one outlier new-condition listing at $319,000. A Vref/Bluebook subscription would settle a considered value for this variant, which this session could not obtain.

• Composite repair requires a certified composite shop.
• IO-240 engine: A simple, well-understood Continental four-cylinder; no dedicated AD research was carried out this session, so this should not be read as a complete history.

No fresh insurance-broker quote sourced this session; typical_hull_insurance_annual_usd is left blank rather than repeating an uncited figure. Expect a rate broadly similar to the A1 — fixed-gear, low hull value, docile trainer.