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Just received the Aug. 18 edition of Flying, which has the DA40 NG on the cover. In the specs given in the article, the claim for flaps-up stall speed is 53 knots, flaps-down 49 knots. Are those figures correct? I thought that one of the penalties for the extra weight of the Austro diesel was a substantial increase in stall speeds, more like 66 knots flaps-up and 60 knots flaps-down.

I attended a Diamond factory course that was given at LifeStyle in Raleigh. While there I got to fly a DA40NG. Upon receiving my issue of Flying magazine, yesterday, I was surprised and delighted to see that N987DA, the one that I flew, was on the cover and the subject of the article.

Sandy

That seems generous to me. You could get stall speeds 58 Kt clean and 55 kt with LDG flap, operating at a weight of 1000Kg/2200 lbs.
Paul

Scotsman58 wrote:Just received the Aug. 18 edition of Flying, which has the DA40 NG on the cover. In the specs given in the article, the claim for flaps-up stall speed is 53 knots, flaps-down 49 knots. Are those figures correct?

Those are the figures for the DA40/180, so that's just lazy journalism. The corresponding speeds in the AFM for the NG are 66 and 60, as you expected.

That's what I thought -- thanks for confirming. I have no desire to rain on the parade of the DA40 NG, and I appreciate the many benefits of the diesel powertrain, but I think a thorough review would have included a discussion of the increase in stall speed/decrease in Vne that is caused by the extra weight, with attendant safety considerations (which may be quite acceptable to many, given the benefits).

But did you see the cost for the new NG? I think it was pushing 475 Aviation units The XLT was about 20k less.

Makes me look at my 2008 xls with a little gleam in my eye.

I would save that much in gas costs in the first year. That's not a meaningful difference.

I was looking at some of the numbers for the NG vs the XLT. My question is, what are the physical differences between the two planes as far as fuselage, wings, spars, langing gear, and wingtips? Why is the XLT gross at 2646 and the NG at 2888? They're basically the same plane as far as I can see, except the wingtips?

If the XLT or older XLS' could be certified for 2888, that would make a great true four seater.

The DA40 NG has additional internal structure within the wing stubs where the main landing gear join. This permits it to have a higher maximum gross weight of 2888 lbs (as well as a slightly higher useful load). This additional structure might be required if the XLT's max gross weight and useful load were similarly increased.

Other differences include totally different cowlings and engine mounts, and the DA40 NG has vertical (rather than mostly horizontal) winglets that reduce wingspan by about one foot (38.5 feet rather than 39.5 feet). This allows the DA40 NG to better fit into hangars with only 40 foot doors.

Until recently the DA40 NG had different landing gear with strut fairings on the nose and mains, but the latest DA40 NGs we've delivered to customers now have a taller main gear without the fairings that looks similar to XLT landing gear.

Interesting on the wingspan. I wonder how much of the higher stall speed of the NG is due to weight and how much to the changes in wingspan?

Tim