Under Rated

Any DA40 related topics

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da40pilot2016
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Under Rated

Post by da40pilot2016 »

I have flown a lot of planes and have owned 4 during my flying career since 1970. I now have a 2012 DA40. I think that the DA40 is under rated more than any plane I have ever heard of. This website contains a lot of comments about nuances or little issues with the DA40, but it seems woefully lacking about the really great things about the plane. Maybe that is just the nature of a forum like this, but I wish there was more emphasis on the good side of this astonishing fun and slick airplane.

Visibility

Economy

Ability to cool the plane without air conditioning use a few simple techniques with no equipment (not implemented by most Diamond pilots. I am in Louisiana and don't think twice about getting hot flying in summer using this technique--certainly at least as cool as a Cessna 206 without a/c. I find the technique to be FAR FAR FAR better than trying to use the third party AC. Not even close. Using good Bose noise cancelling headphones, and with the ducts turned off, open the side window, and simply put your fist on the bottom of the opening. It is no louder than the ducts being turned on, and it floods the cabin with cool air. On the ground, use the canopy partial open position with hand in open ports cupping air in. Use the sun screes with suction cups. It is remarkable when all of this is implemented, even on a hot 100 F, high humidity day.

Stick flying is superb and enjoyable.

Fun

Attractiveness and curb appeal

Modern, new look

Strength (2 wing spars in each wing) and composite strength

Safety and superior safety record and 26G cabin

Avionics

Simplicity

Flexibility in turbulence to soften the ride

Lycoming IO-360

Useful load better than the plane is given credit for, especially without the anvil of an air conditioner put in by third party that also slows the plane down. My first DA40, a 2010 had the AC. Got rid of it. My newer one, a 2012 has no AC, and I like it a LOT better than the one with AC. Cooler for me in Louisiana heat without that AC and useful load is plenty adequate without it.
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Colin
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Re: Under Rated

Post by Colin »

I agree. The forum is really a place pilots and owners are coming to for information, not a place many have written reviews. I wrote My Favorite Plane after my first long trip in mine. I think I was still so scared about owning a plane that I wrote as if it wasn't mine. It was ten years of a perfect bird and now I am in a DA42.
Colin Summers, PP Multi-Engine IFR, ~3,000hrs
colin@mightycheese.com * send email rather than PM
http://www.flyingsummers.com
N972RD DA42 G1000 2.0 s/n 42.AC100 (sold!)
N971RD DA40 G1000 s/n 40.508 (traded)
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Downeast25
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Re: Under Rated

Post by Downeast25 »

Totally agree with the thread. Diamond checks so many of the boxes that are important to me. It may not be a speed demon but it is also not what I would consider slow. Saftey, economy, insurance, maintenance make it a great plane to build a bunch of time and also get some places. My plan is to work on my IFR and build time, while making trips for work quite frequently.

Other planes I considered were:
Cirrus - Very capable but the accidents happen in the pattern where it is not forgiving enough for my liking.
Piper Mirage - Too much airplane to handle now and not efficient enough for me. Also a lot to take care of.
Cessna 182 - I don't love old air frames. Not nearly as efficient for a few more knots.
Corvalis - Same as the Cirrus.
Mooney - Same as the Cirrus and Corvalis. It is efficient for the speed you get. It was tempting.
Lancair - Love this plane but the price is high and not certified.
Pipistrel Panthera - This checks almost every box except price and certification. Love what they are doing though.
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Tom Davis
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Re: Under Rated

Post by Tom Davis »

My 2005 Diamond 40 is the perfect plane for me. The fuel tanks hold about 4 or 5 hours worth of fuel while my 62 year old bladder coupled with my similarly aged prostate holds about 2.5 to 3 hours of . . . well you know. All of my 3 kids live within 500 or 600 nm or where I live. 90% of my flying will be within 300 nm of my home. Even if I doubled my speed, the time saved would pale in comparison with the added cost. I can take friends flying for an hour or two without breaking the bank. The plane and its equipment is modern. It is easy to fly, it is forgiving, and it looks cool.
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Lou
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Re: Under Rated

Post by Lou »

Well said Frank! I am one year into ownership with 150 hrs on type. Honestly, I can't imagine anything else except maybe a DA42iv. Awesome fun airplane.
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BlackMammoth
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Re: Under Rated

Post by BlackMammoth »

The DA40 is hugely underrated by the flying community as whole. One of my favorite things to do is to take other pilots up in the "little plastic airplane" and have them toss it around a bit... fly it slowly, then fly it *really* slowly. Finally show them 150 KTAS on less than 10gph on the way back to the airport ;)
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da40pilot2016
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Re: Under Rated

Post by da40pilot2016 »

This forum seems to have been set up to address complaints. I wrote an email to Diamond Aircraft and said that this forum almost caused me not to buy a Diamond. They should have a section in this forum that talks about the positive things of the DA40.
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Re: Under Rated

Post by BlueYonder »

As the newest owner here, part of the fun of the bringing-her-home XC trip was the amount of curiosity and enthusiasm the plane attracted wherever we landed. People who know, know. Or want to know. We ended up answering a lot of questions, and giving a couple short tours.

I think the secret's getting out.

I bought a DA40 because it seemed to be a terrific value for the money. Flying it, I'm now equally impressed by how fun and easy it is to fly, as well as its speed and economy. And as a first-time owner, I'm realizing I'd probably be perfectly happy if this plane also turned out to be my last.
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BlackMammoth
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Re: Under Rated

Post by BlackMammoth »

da40pilot2016 wrote:This forum seems to have been set up to address complaints. I wrote an email to Diamond Aircraft and said that this forum almost caused me not to buy a Diamond. They should have a section in this forum that talks about the positive things of the DA40.
Apparently you do not have a lot of experience with "owners forums". Choose any thing or technology and seek out their owners forum and you will find people identifying the smallest flaw in that thing.

Just the way things work.

I have had the pleasure of working with some of the most robust technology platforms available, and everyone still complains even as they admit that there isn't a better solution on the market :lol:

Personally, I would rather have the truth and engage my own "Personal Bias Filter" than not. However there are publications that cater to those who want a brighter view of the world (Flying Magazine comes to mind).
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rwtucker
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Re: Under Rated

Post by rwtucker »

I can kind of see how Frank holds his view. This said, I would encourage him to become a little more engaged.

From my several several years of interaction with DAN members, it is clear to me that we Diamond pilots hold our aircraft in exceptionally high regard. Other than perhaps the older Beechcraft in their day, I know of no aircraft so well designed and manufactured. I and many others have said this from time to time on DAN.

With the above in mind, it is a fact of logic that general positive information is limited in its utility when contrasted with specific negative information. Knowing that an aircraft is fantastically engineered is of limited survival value when compared to knowing that our fuel pumps lack sufficient pressure at 16,500 MSL and need to be boosted with the electric pump, or even that we run the risk of galvanic action near our our wing roots due to a less than perfect engineering decision. We need to know these kinds of things and DAN is the first and best source.

Without the slightest doubt or qualification I can say that I have learned more of value to my and my passenger's safety, aircraft longevity, and flying pleasure from DAN than from all other sources combined. Some of what we learn here is not available anywhere else because it comes when a DAN member shares his experiences and often hard work with the rest of us. (I am reminded of the simple heads up that a slipped iPhone can lock your stick from moving aft; on final that could kill you. I now have a rule about mobile phones in the cockpit. Where else has that particular caution been published? ) I am indebted beyond my contribution to the pilots on DAN because I do not fly as much or know as much as many DAN members. Nonetheless, we all try to contribute in whatever way we can. Yes, we also get into arguments, but never personal and always informative. That is part of the fun of it.

Give us a little deeper look Frank. I think you will be amazed at how much you learn . . . and how underrated we believe our aircraft are.
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