DA62 Options Selection

[Fred Claus]

Hi everyone,

First time posting on here. I’m looking at buying a DA62 slot and need to select options. What equipment would be considered not worth getting? I figure that’s easier to answer than asking for the long list of options to include, but either answer would be much appreciated. I’m more concerned with what items aren’t very useful than what items can I leave out to cut down on costs. I’ve listed the optional equipment below in case it may be helpful.

Honeywell KN 63 remote DME
Becker 3500 remote ADF
WX500 Stormscope
Avidyne TAS 605 traffic advisory system Garmin GWX 70 weather radar
Garmin GSR 56 Iridium satellite datalink (subscription required) Garmin GCU 476 Keypad
Garmin Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT)
Garmin GTX 345R ADS-B in/out Transponder
Garmin GDL 69A satellite data link receiver (subscription required, regional restrictions)

Other Options
Diamond Airframe and Engine Program by Piston PowerTM
Air conditioning/RACC II system (powered by an additional alternator) TKS Deicing System
Oxygen System
Built-in tablet mount provisions (A-columns)
Removable right hand control stick
Professional sunshades for PAX row 2 and PAX row 3
Seating configuration 3rd row
Power supply 12V & Provisions for Ferry Tank
Diamond Premium Interior - Sport
Canopy Cover- and nosecover (grey)
Engine Cover (1 pair, grey)

Thank you in advance for any input!

[chili4way]

Where will you be flying? This influences which optional equipment you'll find necessary.

[Fred Claus]

Thanks for the fast reply! I’ll be flying out of Chicago, likely KPWK or as far north as KENW. Typical mission will be 1 hour from Chicago to northern Wisconsin. Annually I’ll fly to Austin, then perhaps NY, CO, CA and FL every 1-3 years. Other than that, it’ll be much more leisure flight in the surrounding 400 miles. I’ll want it to be fully capable of flying anywhere in the continental US under IR conditions. It’ll also need to be capable of a ferry flight from Austria to Chicago. I think my main worry is not buying redundant systems. Specifically, I believe there is some debate about whether or not you need/would benefit from all three of the following: storm scope, G70, and SVT. There are likely other such scenarios where I’d hope to get guidance on option to purchase vs real world practical use.

[jast]

Here would be my thoughts:

Honeywell KN 63 remote DME - must have
Becker 3500 remote ADF - not useful in Europa
WX500 Stormscope - not useful if weather radar+GSR56 is installed
Avidyne TAS 605 traffic advisory system - must have
Garmin GWX 70 weather radar - must have
Garmin GSR 56 Iridium satellite datalink (subscription required) - good integration into NXI but expensive. Phone is very bad quality. Text messages work mostly.
Garmin GCU 476 Keypad - Many like it, I use the iPad with ForeFlight and FS510 for syncing. It’s ABC layout, not QUERTZ, so you need to get used to it
Garmin Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT) - must have
Garmin GTX 345R ADS-B in/out Transponder - must have
Garmin GDL 69A satellite data link receiver (subscription required, regional restrictions) - Rather GSR56

Other Options
Diamond Airframe and Engine Program by Piston PowerTM - wasn’t an option for me
Air conditioning/RACC II system (powered by an additional alternator) - nice2have. Positively influences W&B if you fly often with 1-2 people only
TKS Deicing System - Must have
Oxygen System - Must have
Built-in tablet mount provisions (A-columns) - Must have
Removable right hand control stick - Optional if you fly a lot with non-pilot CoPilots
Professional sunshades for PAX row 2 and PAX row 3
Seating configuration 3rd row - must have for flexibility. Often it’s nicer to sit 5 people in 2/2/1 with kids/small people in the rear
Power supply 12V & Provisions for Ferry Tank - optional
Diamond Premium Interior - Sport - your choice
Canopy Cover- and nosecover (grey) - Have it, but never used it
Engine Cover (1 pair, grey) - Have it but never used it

Regards,
Jan

[mfdutra]

It's a shame synthetic vision is even optional. That's the most must have. Unbeatable situation awareness when flying IMC or at night.

DME isn't required in the US. It would only be useful in a GPS outage scenario, and really only if you are proficient using it. I don't have it.

All new airplanes have the GWX75 option now. Must have for me. I love the radar! Skip the Stormscope.

FIKI, definitely yes in Chicago.

O2, definitely yes on a turbocharged airplane.

Built-in tablet mount - of course.

Removable stick - I really like it. I only have the right stick in place if another pilot is flying with me, which is rare. You don't want a panicked passenger grabbing the stick and killing everybody.

Sunshades, absolutely.

3rd row - no, unless you need it. I much prefer the huge cargo compartment. The 3rd row eats 55 lbs and a LOT of space.

GTX 345R - absolutely!

GDL 69A - absolutely, in the US only.

GSR 56 - nah. Too expensive. Who makes phone calls these days?

Avidyne TAS - must have for me. Not everybody has ADS-B. It only takes one mid-air to kill you and everybody else around.

GCU 476 Keypad - personal preference. I have it and use it. I wouldn't bother if I didn't have it.

Air conditioning - of course. You wouldn't buy a car without A/C.

[MarkO]

I agree with Marlon; I wouldn't bother with ADF or DME; they are being decommissioned slowly anyway.

If you don't order the tablet mount, the Austrian aircraft will have the mountings with screws to fill the holes. These are the same screws you will need to install a RAM mount that you can buy for about $30.

I ordered seven seats, but I am in the process of removing the rear seats and putting the parcel shelf in. I'm still glad that I bought the seven-seat version, as I have the O2, intercom and seat belts for the rear seats and can put them back for resale. If you buy a five-seater you can't easily add the other two seats later.

[mfdutra]

The 5-seater also has O2 and intercom back there.

[kiddchamp]

Hi everyone, when would purchasing the Tanis engine pre-heater make sense? (flying primarily in the continental US). Thanks for your input!

[TimS]

I prefer Reiff over Tanis based on price, warranty and ease of installation. But basically, unless if you only fly in Texas and avoid the cold snaps a couple weeks long each year, a pre-heat system makes sense for most of us.

Tim

[Bryce]

Mine is in production now (so I'm told), and didn't order the preheater. My dealer said it's a waste of money since the engines start in temps down to something like -20°F or some crazy low temp, without preheat. I live in Reno and when I returned home from Scottsdale this afternoon it was 35 degrees at my field. Are the preheaters necessary, or was my dealer correct in saying to skip them?

Thanks,
Bryce