This was just published in a Continental press release about its diesel engines. (CD-135 is the newer name for the original Thielert 135 hp 2.0 liter engine from the DA42 TDI, although newer ones have dual-mass flywheels (like Austros) to replace clutches.) "Over the last 52 weeks the CD-135 on...

The DA42 was designed as a diesel and the only engine adaptation was the move away from Theilert. So it's not really a Franken-plane as is the DA40 NG. The DA40 line's max gross has magically increased over time by 14% from the original DA40 through the NG. This has necessitated increases in variou...

The approach of taking an automotive engine, adding on additional stuff with the resultant weight penalty and then bolting it onto an existing airframe is, while expedient, produces a Franken-plane. And it can compromise safety. Just continually bumping up the max weight of an aircraft with the sam...

What is interesting to me is that the 62 has higher performance Austro's, and I'm wondering if that will trickle down to the 40 and 42. Clearly, there is still more performance to be gained on this platform. Dave, were you able to get above 3000' and if so, do you agree that the NG out performs at ...

No matter how you cut it, less horsepower with same weight or more weight with same horsepower, the outcome is not good and that is what you have in every instance I can think of when an airplane goes diesel. You cannot escape the weight penalty vs. power provided with a diesel. From my perspective...

I think we're all in agreement that the DA40 has a higher-performance wing than an SR20, so the DA40 climbs better with less hp. The DA40 NG's Austro engine -- because it's turbocharged -- actually puts out more hp than a Lycoming IO-360 above 3000 feet, and the NG climbs and goes faster than the Ly...

One needs to look a bit deeper about that useful load. The NG has a shorter limit on the rearward CG (99.6 inches) than even the long-range-tank version of the Lycoming version. And it has a zero-fuel-mass limitation that probably amounts to about a 600-ish pound limit on cabin weight (aka payload)...

The 888 pounds useful load results from an increased MTOW : 1280 Kg instead off 1200 Kg for a IO-360 model. If the this 1280 Kg MTOW was certified for the Lyco version, which I believe is perfectly possible (same power but slightly different airframe), the Lyco would have a much better useful load ...

It didn't feel at all nose-heavy to you? The handling really felt the same as a IO-360 model? Now I wish I had flown it when it was here in Long Beach. Sounds like a great plane. It really did handle almost identically to an IO-360 model. Not only did the DA40 NG not feel nose-heavy, but when I pus...

After piloting and getting a ride in the DA62 at Sun N Fun (at nearby Plant City airport) this week, I also got my first opportunity to fly the Austro-powered DA40 NG. This particular NG was originally a DA40 Tundra model on display at the NBAA show in Las Vegas last fall. The folks at Diamond Canad...