Ed Helmick, a flight instructor since 1985, flew the first DV20 Katana prototypes brought to North America in the spring of 1993. Hired by Diamond Aircraft Corporation to demonstrate the Katana, Ed accumulated 1,700 hours flying the DV/DA20 and subsequently opened two flight schools based on the airplane. Ed has more experience with the Katana than anyone; moreover, through the years he has developed an affinity for this aircraft that highly complements his knowledge of its qualities and idiosyncrasies, detailed in his Diamond Katana DA20 volume of A Pilot's Guide Series.