Building a new DA62 - need advice with options

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mfdutra
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Building a new DA62 - need advice with options

Post by mfdutra »

My partner and I are building a new plane for delivery next year. Some options are pretty straightforward, but for some others, I'd appreciate some advice.

For context, I'm coming from a Cirrus G6.

Center keypad - it's nice, but so expensive. For folks that have that and also FlightStream, do you even use it? I have both in the Cirrus and I much prefer FlightStream, but I use the keyboard here and there, as it's right there.

Jet shades - I've heard the A/C isn't great. Would the shades help?

Engine pre-heater - Does that even make sense on a diesel engine? I live in California and I'd never dare to fly if temperatures are below -10C.

Canopy, nose and engines covers - Should I get them? I have a nice Bruce's cover for my Cirrus and I like it. Not sure if Bruce makes covers for the DA62 though.

Removable right stick - I'm undecided here. Certainly desirable if I have a non-pilot next to me, but how easy and practical is it to install and remove it?
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Gordon
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Re: Building a new DA62 - need advice with options

Post by Gordon »

Canopy, nose and engines covers - Should I get them? I have a nice Bruce's cover for my Cirrus and I like it. Not sure if Bruce makes covers for the DA62 though.
https://aircraftcovers.com/DA62

Here are my covers on Bruce's website! There are pictures of other's too. This is the light weight travel cover for nose/cabin. The engine plugs are from Bruce's too.

Cover folds up into a compact bag.
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Re: Building a new DA62 - need advice with options

Post by CFIDave »

Center keypad - don't waste your (considerable) money on this. It's in an awkward position, and once you get your iPad paired/in-sync with your FlightStream 510 wireless card, it's SO much easier to edit flight plans in Foreflight rather than using the keypad -- use the iPad as your FMS keypad. Changing frequencies is much easier/faster by spinning knobs on the PFD/MFD.

Jet Shades -- absolute get these. The DA62 AC needs all the help it can get.

Engine pre-heater -- no way. You can safely start the engines down to -30C without preheat. Are you going to fly in that type of cold??

Covers -- get them if you don't have a hangar. Otherwise, get only a lightweight "travel cover" for the cabin from Bruce, for use when your DA62 is parked away from your home airport.

Removable stick -- I don't have any experience with this. If you don't normally fly with pilots in the right seat, I suppose it might be useful. But I've never gotten complaints from right seat passengers about the stick being in the way.
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Re: Building a new DA62 - need advice with options

Post by photoSteveZ »

Gordon wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 2:45 am
Canopy, nose and engines covers - Should I get them? I have a nice Bruce's cover for my Cirrus and I like it. Not sure if Bruce makes covers for the DA62 though.
https://aircraftcovers.com/DA62

Here are my covers on Bruce's website! There are pictures of other's too. This is the light weight travel cover for nose/cabin. The engine plugs are from Bruce's too.

Cover folds up into a compact bag.
The photos of DA62 canopy and engine lightweight travel covers on Bruce’s website are ones I supplied while we went through a couple of iterations to correct fit issues on the original engine covers they sent me, as well as a some missing features on the canopy cover. As a result the engine covers are now specific to left and right engines instead of one-size-fits-all; and the canopy cover has a some extra doublers over the rear door handle and grab handles. These design changes will presumably be incorporated into all future DA62 covers they fabricate.

I’ve bought Bruce’s lightweight travel covers for all my airplanes over the years, including the A36 Bonanza and Pipistrel you can see behind the 62 in some of the photos. These latest covers came with a warning not to use them for outside storage; UV light destroys any fabric over time, and the travel covers apparently do not stand up to prolonged exposure to sunlight nearly as well as the standard covers.
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Re: Building a new DA62 - need advice with options

Post by photoSteveZ »

CFIDave wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 3:06 am Center keypad - don't waste your (considerable) money on this. It's in an awkward position, and once you get your iPad paired/in-sync with your FlightStream 510 wireless card, it's SO much easier to edit flight plans in Foreflight rather than using the keypad -- use the iPad as your FMS keypad. Changing frequencies is much easier/faster by spinning knobs on the PFD/MFD.

Jet Shades -- absolute get these. The DA62 AC needs all the help it can get.

Engine pre-heater -- no way. You can safely start the engines down to -30C without preheat. Are you going to fly in that type of cold??

Covers -- get them if you don't have a hangar. Otherwise, get only a lightweight "travel cover" for the cabin from Bruce, for use when your DA62 is parked away from your home airport.

Removable stick -- I don't have any experience with this. If you don't normally fly with pilots in the right seat, I suppose it might be useful. But I've never gotten complaints from right seat passengers about the stick being in the way.
I kinda like the center keypad, though my 62 does not have the Flightstream 510. Value for money? Questionable.

A set of Jet Shades arrived the day before we left on our most recent trip, and I am sold on their usefulness. As everyone else has noted, the 62’s a/c is seriously deficient and the Jet Shades really help with cabin heat load. They also make it easier to read my iPad’s screen when the sun is full on it. One negative is reduced optical clarity; I found it difficult to read the windsock from pattern altitude yesterday when returning to home base.

As noted in the post above, I have Bruce’s lightweight travel covers. Recommended.

Would like to have the option to remove the right stick.
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Re: Building a new DA62 - need advice with options

Post by VickersPilot »

On the FS510 - how does selecting a new waypoint from the iPad work? Do you have to request a transfer of a complete new flight plan from the iPad AND then accept the new flight plan from the G1000 or is it more seamless?
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Re: Building a new DA62 - need advice with options

Post by CFIDave »

I may have been the first DA62 customer to work with Bruce's almost 4 years ago -- just to get a "canopy" travel cover for the cabin. I took lots of measurements for them, and then the first cover they sent me had to be sent back so they could get the top VHF antenna pocket location corrected. I've been using this travel cover for years -- when folded it stores nicely in the space behind the 3rd row seat back (on a 7-seater DA62).

At this point I would expect their measurements (for that cover at least) should be pretty good.
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Re: Building a new DA62 - need advice with options

Post by Gordon »

My cover is only a month old. Fitted perfectly out of the box so, job well done to the early adopters!
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Re: Building a new DA62 - need advice with options

Post by CFIDave »

VickersPilot wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 1:13 pm On the FS510 - how does selecting a new waypoint from the iPad work? Do you have to request a transfer of a complete new flight plan from the iPad AND then accept the new flight plan from the G1000 or is it more seamless?
Whenever your Flight Plan changes on the G1000 NXi, it automatically sends the change to the iPad -- Foreflight will put up a "pop-up" on the screen asking you to accept/reject.

In the other direction, if you make a change to your flight plan in Foreflight, you hit the little "+" sign to send the change to the G1000 NXi, and then the MFD gives you the opportunity to accept/reject the change. It all works very seamlessly.

I have my iPad mounted via a RAM mount to one of the A-pillars on virtually every flight. The iPad acts as a 3rd screen and as a touchscreen keypad for entering flight plan changes. It's FAR easier to use than the GCU 476 center console keypad for flight plan changes, and spinning PFD/MFD knobs is much faster and easier for changing frequencies.

The only reason I selected the GCU 476 keypad option 4 years ago is that NXi Phase I in my DA62 didn't support the FlightStream 510. I wouldn't get it on a new DA62 today, especially not for $23K!
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Re: Building a new DA62 - need advice with options

Post by mfdutra »

VickersPilot wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 1:13 pm On the FS510 - how does selecting a new waypoint from the iPad work? Do you have to request a transfer of a complete new flight plan from the iPad AND then accept the new flight plan from the G1000 or is it more seamless?
The FlightStream doesn't have a concept of active waypoint in the panel. It only transfers entire flight plans in and out.
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