Donkadillapig wrote: ↑Wed Sep 27, 2023 10:25 am
And on the QA... yup! I've locked up on what was logically for me the DA62 upgrade path. For the sake of my own mental health, I'm not going to spend 1.8M on a product that is (2?) more likely 3 years away, will arrive with obsolete technology installed and be plagued by BS QA issues. All the while being treated like garbage during the whole process. Having gone through a taste of that buying the 40, no thanks.
Perhaps because Wanfeng's core business was selling to manufacturers, not end users, they have no appreciation or interest in the private owner customer experience. The company leadership in Austria is focused on fleet and government sales (i.e., 40's for training, 42/62 MPP, and DART military trainers) and puts zero resources towards private owners. After seven years of ownership the private owner experience has only gotten worse so it doesn't seem reasonable to expect any improvement. It is what it is. It's quite ironic that Cirrus, which is literally owned by the Chinese Government, provides a better customer experience than a privately held company like Wanfeng.
WRT to manufacturing, Wanfeng's core business of making metal auto parts is certainly much simpler than making a certified aircraft and aircraft engines so they didn't bring any sophisticated QA or process control expertise to Diamond.
The bad taste and frustration from the purchase experience passes a year or so after delivery. Airplanes have a long life cycle and the poor manufacturing QA issues get sorted out during the warranty period, though it requires too many trips to the too few DSCs.
After the warranty period, the issues here don't seem much different than on other type club forums. There is no shortage of EFATO stories, "blown jugs", and avionics and electrical system mysteries on piston GA planes in general; it's not an area where Diamond seems to have any particular distinction. Sharing our problems here undoubtedly creates the impression that there are more problems that occur more frequently. It's important to remember that not every owner experiences every issue. Ultimately the sharing contributes to faster solutions for anyone who does experience a specific problem.
We're here because we aren't kit builders, want a plane that was designed in the last 30yrs, can't afford an SETP or don't need those capabilities, and like the flight characteristics of the Diamonds. Buyers can work the system and shop for a distributor rather than taking the default distributor assigned by Diamond, but ultimately the distributor can only provide so much veneer over Diamond's lack of interest in private owners.
DPA is trying to develop a relationship with Diamond and advocate for private owners. They deserve our support as we have nothing to lose and everything to gain if they are successful.
Considering the tiny size of the market, GA has a staggering number of choices. I've made my choice, accept Diamond for who they are today with no expectations for improvement, and like flying my plane.
