Diamond DA40
Diamond Aircraft · In production — Diamond Aircraft
Length8.06 m
Wingspan11.63 m
Height1.97 m
Max takeoff mass1,310 kg
What it means
The category, explained
A light aircraft here means a piston-engined single of around a tonne, carrying two to four people, with fixed landing gear and a propeller turned directly by the engine. It is the category almost every pilot begins in and the one most private flying happens in.
The numbers are unlike anything else on this site. A Cessna 172 weighs less than the tyres and wheels of an Airbus A380. Its entire 1,157 kg maximum takeoff weight is about what a single business-class seat assembly and its passenger contribute to a widebody. Yet the aerodynamics are identical, and the licence that starts here is the same one that ends in the left seat of an airliner.
Three aircraft dominate training worldwide, and they are here: the high-wing Cessna 172, the low-wing Piper Archer, and the composite Diamond DA40. Between them they represent the overwhelming majority of hours flown by student pilots today.
The aircraft
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Full specification →
Every light aircraft here
Silhouettes are sized by real wingspan — bigger aircraft draw bigger.
Full specification →
Cessna 172 Skyhawk
Cessna · In production — Textron Aviation
Length8.28 m
Wingspan11.00 m
Height2.72 m
Max takeoff weight1,157 kg
Piper PA-28 Archer
Piper · In production — Piper Aircraft
Length7.32 m
Wingspan10.80 m
Height2.20 m
Max takeoff weight1,157 kg
Side by side
Ranked by length
| Aircraft | Length | Wingspan | First flight | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 172 Skyhawk | 8.28 m | 11.00 m | 1955 | In production — Textron Aviation |
| Diamond DA40 | 8.06 m | 11.63 m | 2000 | In production — Diamond Aircraft |
| Piper PA-28 Archer | 7.32 m | 10.80 m | 1960 | In production — Piper Aircraft |