I bought a nearby piece of land and will grade a 1700’ x 75’ runway. Any thoughts on grass vs gravel? Leaving aside landing/takeoff distance issues, the specifics of your land's geology will likely play a big role in the decision. Some farmers' fields I've seen are swampy messes at certain times of...

This was always my assumption and, I am in no doubt, many others also, regardless of whether one is a DPA member or not. Based on what? For me, it was based on the fact that the original invitation said that the results would be posted on the DPA website, and that the cross-post to the DPA website ...

Thanks everyone for the valuable advice. re: sims - I have built a fairly capable X-Plane 12 setup with SiMIONIC G1000 units (I have a thread about it in the DA40 forum) but I'm being very disciplined about not trying IFR procedures in it until I have instruction because I don't want to learn bad h...

Thanks to all for your thoughts! I also had a 2001 steam gauge no autopilot version and I never had this kind of bill! Can you tell what is corroded? And what had been changed in the last 3 years and also what is planed for this year? In 2020, the big items were problems discovered during the mandat...

I've just about had it with plane ownership. My plane is in annual and I've been informed that for the fourth year in a row, the cost is going to be well above $10K. Not all of the items are airworthiness-related. But most of them either address actual structural issues like corrosion or are part of...

Zebedee wrote: ↑Sat Sep 30, 2023 2:36 pm What do you guys use for ballast in the 3rd row section.

When I trained in a 42 for my multi, the flight school had a similar W&B issue. They just used a 20kg / 44lb sliding barbell weight, which was usually sufficient for their needs.

best,
dan

Picking back up from Billings, I got a super-early start. Winds aloft were favorable and I wanted to follow the guidance of having mountain flying done by noon. Got to the FBO around 5 am, preflighted and briefed, wheels up a little after 6 with sunrise at 6:30 or so. Flew VFR but planned to follow ...

(Looks like the post I was responding to was deleted. But still relevant for those looking at this.) Yeah; when I saw "fuel transfer pump" I presumed NG; but it is a Lycoming powered plane. So I am still confused. I suppose running a tank dry could explain it. But that wasn't due to failu...

Hi all - Gonna type this up in multiple posts on this topic as time allows. Inspired by my successful southern-route cross-country in March ( https://www.diamondaviators.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8898 ) and mhoran's northern-route cross-country trip ( https://www.diamondaviators.net/forum/viewtopic....

Having trained in a Skyhawk, descending has been the biggest adjustment for me in a DA40. The plane just wants to keep flying. I routinely get 20 knots into the yellow arc (150ish KIAS) on 500 fps descents at 65% power or more. That's not a problem in smooth air, but I need to cut MP to low-mid teen...