To be clear, if someone wants to do it, I would recommend contacting Diamond to find out if this is approved for older airframes.

The GFC700 proves it's possible to certify a Garmin autopilot in a DA40, but otherwise I don't think its relevant from a regulatory standpoint. While the GFC500 builds on the GFC700, it's not the same autopilot. I obviously was not privy to the talks with Diamond, but in general I'm not sure how muc...

I did a detailed walk around of a brand new DA40-180 at the Diamond display at SunNFun. One of the things I noticed is that Diamond appears to be using glider tape on wing root. Here's a picture.

I spoke with Garmin rep at SunNFun about the GFC500 autopilot for traditional gauge DA40's. Good news/bad news. He says it's on the list (good) but at the bottom of the list (bad). The reason he gave is that because of DA40's composite construction they would have to additional "environmental&q...

To quantify the market available to Diamond, I recently did a search of the FAA database to identify the number of steam gauge DA40s. Assuming all 2001-03 DA40s are steam gauges, based on serial numbers Diamond built over 300 of them. I responded to Garmin's request for new airplanes to add to the G...

Rich- I am doing the same investigation. The JPI930 seems to be the best bet. JPI has made some changes to the back of the unit which allows it to be mounted flush without cutting the panel. Here is a pic from a DA40 that had it done. Bernie

I'm just anticipating. The bet may not pay off but I really want the benefits of UL on my engine so want to support this.

I decided to get the Gami STC - $350 plus $20 shipping for a DA40. See https://stc.g100ul.com/ Gami is offering a $100 rebate with your first fill up if you buy it in January. It will probably be years before that occurs, however.

Like Joey I just use microfiber cloths and spray bottle of water after every flight.