Diamond Aircraft is one of the most popular modern general aviation aircraft manufacturers. The company was originally founded in 1981, over 43 years ago. The Austrian aircraft designer, Wolf Hoffmann, formed the company, then known as Hoffmann Flugzeugbau, in Carinthia, Austria. Hoffmann originally formed the company to compete in the general aviation industry, as the executive team of the company realized there was a need for light aircraft with increased range. Many general aviation aircraft that were produced in the late 1970s and through the 1980s were built from old designs. For example, the Cessna 172 Skyhawk was based on a design from the 1950s and the Beechcraft Bonanza was based on a design from the late 1940s.