Twin-engine piston · operating costs
Diamond DA42 Twin Star Operating Costs and Cost per Hour
A Diamond DA42 Twin Star costs about $440 an hour to operate at 200 hours a year: $31,000 a year fixed plus $285 per flight hour, itemised with sources.
CRAFT estimate, fuel priced October 4, 2026
At a glance
- Per flight hour at 200 hrs a year
- $440
- Per year at 200 hrs
- $87,970
- Fixed costs / year
- $30,970
- Variable / flight hour
- $285
- Jet A, $80/hr today
- Fuel burn
- 10 gal/hr
- no pilot salary
- Crew assumed
- Owner-flown
CRAFT estimates in USD for a U.S.-based aircraft. How we estimate them is below; every line has its source.
What a Diamond DA42 Twin Star costs per hour
The Diamond DA42 Twin Star is a twin-engine piston with 3 seats, burning 10.4 gallons of Jet A an hour. In our estimate it costs $285 for every hour it flies and $30,970 a year whether it flies or not. Spread over 200 hours a year, that is about $440 a flight hour; over 100 hours, $595; over 400, $362.
The estimate assumes the owner flies it, so there is no pilot salary in it. Hiring a pilot adds about $120,808 a year; the calculator below has a switch for that. The largest single cost at 200 hours is maintenance, at $22,000 a year.
Diamond DA42 Twin Star cost calculator
Diamond DA42 Twin Star annual cost
$87,903 per year
$30,970 fixed + $285/hr × 200 hrs ($80/hr of it fuel: 10.4 gal at $7.66). About $440 per flight hour with the fixed costs spread over the hours. Diamond DA42 Twin Star, CRAFT estimate.
Fixed costs
What the Diamond DA42 Twin Star costs a year before it flies an hour.
| Fixed costs | Per year | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Crew Salary | $0 | Owner-flown: no pilot salary. A hired pilot would add about $120,808 a year: $84,540, the BLS 25th percentile, commercial pilots, plus 43% for benefits and payroll costs (BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026). Switch it on in the calculator.Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (released May 15, 2026); BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 (released September 9, 2026) |
| Crew TrainingEstimate, $2,500 to $6,000 | $4,250 | Recurrent training for the pilot each year (a flight review or instrument proficiency check with an instructor, or a type course), $2,500 to $6,000 for a twin-engine piston. CRAFT estimate. |
| HangarEstimate, $6,480 to $14,160 | $10,320 | A large T-hangar, from Concord-Padgett's T-50 unit ($540 a month) to a 56 ft cabin-class unit at Naples ($1,180): $540 to $1,180 a month. Big-city airports cost more, a tie-down much less.Source: Published airport hangar and tie-down rates (Concord-Padgett Regional, City of Concord NC; Naples Airport Authority FY2026) (read October 15, 2026) |
| InsuranceEstimate, $6,600 to $10,500 | $8,550 | Liability of $600 to $1,500 a year plus hull cover at 1% to 1.5% of a hull value of $600,000, a typical value for twin-engine piston airplanes, CRAFT estimate (no published price for this model). BWI's published guidance: twin-engine pistons typically $4,000 to $8,000 a year; liability $400 to $1,200 and hull at 1% to 1.5% of agreed value for piston aircraft (a twin's higher limits put liability at the top of that range). Midpoints used; pilot experience moves it a lot.Source: BWI Aviation Insurance, "How much is aircraft insurance? A complete 2026 cost breakdown" (January 4, 2026) |
| Management | $0 | Owner-managed: no management company. The owner books maintenance and keeps the records. |
| Annual InspectionEstimate, $3,500 to $8,000 | $5,750 | The annual inspection every piston aircraft needs to stay airworthy, before any repairs it finds: $3,500 to $8,000 for a twin-engine piston. CRAFT estimate. |
| Miscellaneous FixedEstimate, $1,200 to $3,000 | $2,100 | Navigation database and chart subscriptions, an EFB app, weather, tie-down away from home and the aircraft's paperwork: $1,200 to $3,000 a year for a twin-engine piston. CRAFT estimate. |
| Total | $30,970 |
Variable costs
What each flight hour adds. Fuel is priced at $7.66 a gallon; every dollar a gallon moves the hourly cost by $10.
| Variable costs | Per flight hour | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel Cost | $80 | 10.4 gallons of Jet A an hour (Diamond Aircraft Industries, Diamond Aircraft DA42 tech specs; DA42 NG Airplane Flight Manual Rev. 5 (2021-06-10), Section 5.3.2 Fuel Flow, Both engines combined at 60% power: 39.4 l/h = 10.4 US gal/h (Diamond page). AFM table is per engine: 5.2 gal/h at 60%, 6.5 at 75%, 7.5 at 85%, so 13.0 gal/h total at 75% power) at $7.66 a gallon, our estimated U.S. average FBO price for Jet A on 2026-10-04.Source: Diamond Aircraft Industries, Diamond Aircraft DA42 tech specs; DA42 NG Airplane Flight Manual Rev. 5 (2021-06-10), Section 5.3.2 Fuel Flow; CRAFT jet fuel price data |
| MaintenanceEstimate, $70 to $150 | $110 | Scheduled maintenance, parts, labor and unscheduled repairs for the airframe and avionics: $70 to $150 a flight hour for a twin-engine piston. Older aircraft sit at the top of the range. CRAFT estimate. |
| Engine OverhaulEstimate, $40 to $80 | $60 | An hourly reserve for the next engine overhaul: $20 to $40 per engine per hour for a twin-engine piston, for 2 engines. No published overhaul price for this engine, so a CRAFT estimate. |
| Crew/Landing/Handling FeesEstimate, $10 to $35 | $23 | Landing and ramp fees away from home: $10 to $35 a flight hour for a twin-engine piston. CRAFT estimate. |
| Miscellaneous VariableEstimate, $6 to $18 | $12 | Oil, filters and cleaning supplies for two engines: $6 to $18 a flight hour. CRAFT estimate. |
| Total | $285 |
Annual cost at 100, 200 and 400 hours
| Hours a year | 100 hours | 200 hours | 400 hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed costs | $30,970 | $30,970 | $30,970 |
| Variable costs | $28,500 | $57,000 | $114,000 |
| Total a year | $59,470 | $87,970 | $144,970 |
| Per flight hour | $595 | $440 | $362 |
Diamond DA42 Twin Star specs
- Class
- Twin-engine piston
- Engines
- 2 × Austro Engine AE 300
- Fuel
- Jet A
- Fuel burn
- 10.4 gal/hr
- Seats
- 3
- Cruise
- 175 kts
- Range
- 1,225 nm
- Max takeoff weight
- 4,407 lb
Specs: Diamond Aircraft Industries, Diamond Aircraft tech specs page.
The Diamond DA42 Twin Star compared with similar aircraft
Same method, same fuel prices, at 200 hours a year.
| Aircraft | Per hour | Per year | Fuel burn |
|---|---|---|---|
Diamond DA42 Twin StarTwin-engine piston | $440 | $87,970 | 10.4 gal/hr |
 Diamond DA62Twin-engine piston | $450 | $89,970 | 11.8 gal/hr |
 Beechcraft Baron 58Twin-engine piston | $563 | $112,570 | 27.4 gal/hr |
 Piper PA-31-350 Navajo ChieftainTwin-engine piston | $686 | $137,170 | 44 gal/hr |
 Cessna 206 StationairSingle-engine piston | $324 | $64,705 | 19.2 gal/hr |
 GippsAero GA8 AirvanSingle-engine piston | $315 | $62,905 | 18 gal/hr |
How we estimate these costs
Every aircraft on our operating cost calculator is costed the same way: fixed costs a year plus a cost per flight hour, from public inputs. Crew pay comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, hangar rates from published airport schedules, insurance from a broker's published guidance, fuel from our fuel price data, and the fuel burn from Diamond Aircraft Industries. Lines marked “estimate” are the midpoint of a stated range for twin-engine piston airplanes, not a quote. Nothing here comes from another cost calculator or a broker's budgets.
- Not included: the purchase price, financing, depreciation, sales tax, upgrades and paint or interior work, and any rental or charter income.
- What moves it most: hours flown (fixed costs spread thinner), the fuel price, where it is hangared, the pilot's experience (insurance) and the aircraft's age (maintenance).
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a Diamond DA42 Twin Star cost per hour?
About $440 a flight hour flown 200 hours a year, in CRAFT's estimate: $285 an hour in direct costs (fuel, maintenance, engine and parts reserves, fees) plus $30,970 a year in fixed costs spread over the hours. Flown 100 hours it is about $590 an hour; flown 400, about $360. That assumes the owner flies it, with no pilot salary.
How much does it cost to own a Diamond DA42 Twin Star for a year?
About $88,000 a year flown 200 hours: $30,970 in fixed costs (crew training, hangar, insurance, annual inspection, miscellaneous fixed) and $57,000 in hourly costs. The purchase price, financing and depreciation are not included.
How much fuel does a Diamond DA42 Twin Star burn?
10.4 gallons of Jet A an hour (Diamond Aircraft Industries, Diamond Aircraft DA42 tech specs; DA42 NG Airplane Flight Manual Rev. 5 (2021-06-10), Section 5.3.2 Fuel Flow). At $7.66 a gallon, the estimated U.S. average FBO price for Jet A on October 4, 2026, that is $80 a flight hour. Every dollar a gallon moves it by $10.
Does the Diamond DA42 Twin Star estimate include a pilot?
No. Most twin-engine piston airplanes are flown by their owners, so the crew line is $0. Hiring a pilot adds about $121,000 a year with benefits, from BLS pay data; the calculator on this page has a switch for it.
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