I flew a DA42 today!

[Antoine]

Emir, I agree there is something wrong in the market. In my opinion the whole small aircraft market has been malfunctioning for the last 8 years or so. Especially in Europe where very few serious buyers are available.
With patience a buyer can make a good deal.
Whether a new -VI really goes for list price, I don't know.
But a used (refurbished) one should go for a steep discount versus the spanking new version.
There is this little catch with MTOW for example. The new one will have 1999 Kg, vs 1900 for the refurb.

[ememic99]

The new one will have 1999 Kg, vs 1900 for the refurb.

Well ... that looks like DA62 options with 1999 kg and 2300 kg - I believe this is just paperwork. However, I don't think that 99 kg of useful load if worth of 350k.

[Steve D]

How much is a brand new -V1?

[ememic99]

How much is a brand new -V1?

800k+

[Tommy]

That's extremely low price and I've never heard something even remotely close to this. That would mean you can have -VI (or something very close to it) for 370-380k. I can't say if this is possible or not but with such approach DAI would cannibalize their sales of new -VI which goes for double of that price.

This is what I have been trying to tell people. Take any older or legacy airframe you like and you can do a complete refurbishment for roughly half the replacement cost of same or comparable aircraft. Nextant Aerospace http://www.nextantaerospace.com/has been doing it for years. I am doing it with my Aerostar. It can be done. The aircraft refurbishment market is in its infancy. Again, take any late model airframe you like, walk it through a complete refurbishment and you will be surprised with what you end up with.

[Steve D]

Tommy

I am very interested to hear how your Aerostar refurbishment is getting on. I have been considering the same path myself. The main drawback has been the relative operational complexity of the Aerostar vs. the Twinstar but would love to hear your experiences.

[carym]

The used twin market, as opposed to the single market, has been depressed for many years. In part this is because there are too few pilots with a twin rating or with interest in getting a twin rating and flying a twin. Sure, the annual expense of a twin is more than twice that of a single, but I really don't understand why there is such a reluctance on the part of pilots to obtain and fly a twin.

[CFIDave]

Sure, the annual expense of a twin is more than twice that of a single, but I really don't understand why there is such a reluctance on the part of pilots to obtain and fly a twin.

I think it's because modern singles like the Cirrus SR22, Cessna TTx, or Piper Malibu/Matrix/Mirage provide the same performance that once required flying a twin, without the complexity or cost of the 2nd engine -- or (except for the Piper) retractable gear. Cirrus has convinced a lot of pilots -- and their spouses -- that an aircraft parachute provides equivalent protection against in-flight engine failure.

I strongly considered those singles before buying a DA42, but went with the twin mostly because I loved the smooth quiet economical diesel engines, and wanted the ability to fly over inhospitable terrain like oceans, mountains, or cold Great Lakes where a parachute compares unfavorable to having a 2nd engine.

Back in 2013 our new DA42-VI cost about $100K more than an identically-equipped modern single. Now with the rise in Cirrus and Cessna prices, combined with improved dollar/euro exchange rates that caused Diamond to slightly lower North American prices, you can get a new DA42 twin for about same price as a new SR22T or TTx. But few pilots in the market for a new plane are aware of this. So while the DA42 is the world's best selling piston twin, its production numbers are still small compared to the number of new SR22s sold.

[carym]

Dave,
I clearly believe you did the right thing. Having experienced 4 engine failures in my C310 (3 were while airborne) they were non events. Having a right "turbo" problem in my DA42 i was still able to fly over the Rockies on several occasions that were also non events (as you know this turned out to be a bad MP sensor in the ECU). I am obviously a believer in the extra safety the second engine provides irrespective of any performance advantage.

[Colin]

14,500 75% power, burning 10.7gph total, 161kts TAS.

I don't have a logging feature anymore, right? That's not in the G1000 software for the DA42? I miss all that easy data gathering.