Photograph:
Piel CP-605 Super Diamante VH-FXA (c/n FB-001) t Gympie, QLD in September 2010 (Tony Arbon)
Country of origin:
France
Description:
Light sporting monoplane
Power Plant:
One 112 kw (150 hp) Lycoming O-320-E2A four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 9.29 m (30 ft 6 in)
- Length: 6.64 m (21 ft 8 in)
- Height: 1.76 m (5 ft 8 in)
- Wing area: 13.29 m² (143.1 sq ft)
- Max speed: 257 km/h (169 mph)
- Cruising speed at 75% power at 1,524 m (5,000 ft): 248 km/h (154 mph)
- Cruising speed at 65% power at 1,524 m (5,000 ft): 230 km/h (143 mph)
- Stalling speed flaps up: 90 km/h (56 mph)
- Stalling speed flaps down: 82 km/h (51 mph)
- Rate of climb: 305 m/min (1,000 ft/min)
- Take-off run: 183 m (600 ft)
- Landing run: 244 m (800 ft)
- Range: 2,816 km (1,750 miles)
- Empty weight: 508 kg (1,120 lb)
- Fuel: 113 kg (250 lb)
- Loaded weight: 850 kg (1,875 lb)
History:
The Diamante was one of a series of light aircraft designed by Claude Piel in France in the 1950s. It was an enlarged variant of the Piel Emeraude and designed to seat four, but usually was built in 2 + 2 configuration. It was produced in fully certificated form as a factory built aircraft, but has also been available in plan form for amateur construction.
It was produced in a number of variants, these including the CP-60 and CP-602 with engines ranging in power in the 67 to 86 kw (90 to 115 hp) range but further development lead to the CP-604 Super Diamante, the prototype of which was flown in 1964 with a 108 kw (145 hp) Continental engine. This was followed by the CP-605 with a swept-back tail, which had a number of modifications and was fitted with a 112 kw (150 hp) Lycoming O-325 engine which entered commercial production; and the CP-605B which was fitted with a retractable undercarriage.
In recent years the type has been marketed by S Littner of St Eustache, Quebec, Canada, which Company produces plans for a number of designs by Claude Piel and Guiseppe Vidor. The Super Diamante is of all-wood construction with fabric covering and is usually fitted with a fixed tailwheel undercarriage. One example has been under construction in Western Australia in recent years, being completed in mid-2016 as a CP-615 Super Diamante. Fitted with a Lycoming IO-320-B2A it became VH-KGW (c/n CP6011964ECR) registered to its owner Mr G C Rawlings of Safety Bay, WA on 31 May 2016.