Towbar and tie down recommendations

[Pascal]

Hi All,

I am finalizing the purchase of a DA20-C1. Very excited. Now I need to purchase mundane things like tie down kits and a towbar. Do you have recommendations? I am looking at the Aircraft Spruce and Sporty`s calalogs but there are no towbars specifically made for Diamond aircraft.

I have about a gazillion things to purchase as this is my first airplane, so I`m looking for inexpensive solutions that I can upgrade later.

Ideally I`d like a towbar I can carry with me on trips, if such a thing exists that fits in a DA20.

Thanks in advance

[krellis]

We use the Bogert tow bar P/N 04M-DA20. Works better than the Diamond standard one. Should be available from ACS and probably Sky Geek too.

https://bogertaviation.com/products/bog ... l-aircraft

[Diamond13]

Pascal,,, on your purchase ask seller for the winter baffles (inlet & outlet) that are supplied with the aircraft from new, you will need them where you are! Cheers, and have fun! Rob (at Diamond Aircraft Industries Inc.)

[Pascal]

Pascal,,, on your purchase ask seller for the winter baffles (inlet & outlet) that are supplied with the aircraft from new, you will need them where you are! Cheers, and have fun! Rob (at Diamond Aircraft Industries Inc.)

Thanks Rob, yes it is included in the deal. However the seller does not have cowl plugs. I found a used DA20-C1 towbar, so that`s good.

[Rick]

Cowl plugs aren't a required item, so no need to provide them with the sale, but they are readily available for purchase from Sportys and other places. You shouldn't have any problem finding a set.

[RMarkSampson]

Pascal,
Of the gazillion pieces and parts in my DA-20 hangar, here are my top pics:

Small portable air compressor for tires. Lowes or Home Depot, don't waste your $$'s on something from an aviation supply shop. This one works great for me
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Fini-1-2-Gallo ... r/50385522

A couple of 5 gallon fuel containers to defuel if you are over-weight. Leave cap off to vent dry and don't store fuel in the hangar, but occasionally you will need to pull some fuel out due to useful load.

Jumper Cables - I have a single pole connector so I just clipped off one end of some automotive jumper cables and soldered in a single pole connector I bought online - now you will be able to jump a low battery from a vehicle, and it is light enough to take with me on cross-countries. I also bought a plug-in battery charger that had jumper cable connectors - also clipped those off and soldered on another single pole connector. Now I can charge the battery, or run electronics in the hangar without pulling off the battery box cover to charge the battery from a 110v outlet.

Wooden dip stick. Spent 100 bucks buying a wooden dip stick from Diamond but it was round and would not bend - and it turns out my tank is slightly different than most DA-20s - it did not fit down the curve in the filler neck leading to the fuel tank. So I just measured the stick and sent it back to Diamond. A "flat stick" bends nicely into my tank - and I put a small cross-bar on the stick so it would not be lost inside the tank (now looks like a sword). My Dip stick is make out of a nice hardwood, is about 3/4 inch wide, 1/8 thick, 28 inches long. The cross piece is around the 25 inch mark. I calibrated the dip stick by fully draining the fuel tank and then put in 1/2 gallons of "unusable" and then 2 gallons at a time at the fuel pump. I make three, one for the hangar wall, one that I keep in the plane and one spare because I had a long enough piece of wood left over after building two.

An aircraft jack allows you to change your own tires.

Magnetic pickup tool, flexible fingers pickup tool, mirror on a stick.

A good drop light.

Brake pads (linings) and a rivet punch (to remove and put on new brake pads). The tool is available on Aircraft Spruce for about $30.

Tools for the hangar? That depends on how much owner-assisted maintenance you plan to do. Same with all the aviation nuts and bolts you will start acquiring. I would definitely invest in some -at least one torque wrench so you can change out your own oil filter and torque it to the correct 16-18 foot pounds - I think it is a 1" socket that fits on the end of our oil filter. I would get some plastic bins to organize things according t the AMM chapter numbers. (landing gear stuff like brake pads and the rivet punch go in one), propeller paint goes in another etc...

A small fishing scale is good to calibrate the nut on the NLG that allows it to caster around 11 lbs of pull. It is also useful in weighing the fire extinguisher to make sure it remains within spec.

Cleaning supplies with good rags. Keep your cleaning/waxing rags different than the ones you use on the canopy. Only use top quality new rags on the canopy. I have one of those plastic arms that allow you to reach forward and clean the inside of the canopy from the pilot/copilot seat. Otherwise it is really hard to reach all the way forward...

and yes, the list goes on an on. Welcome to plane ownership!
r/Mark

[bhbrumm@aol.com]

What is the best way to remove fuel if you need to for weight and balance?

thanks

[RMarkSampson]

Maintenance drain under aircraft can be toggled into the open position so you don't need to hold it open - my 5 gallon gas container and funnel can be positioned just below. A bit slower than using a siphon hose but quite easy...