A subspecies with options. There are so many great new avionics available since your plane was minted.We could almost be called a subspecies
Do I have the 17# Ballast?
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- BRS
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Re: Do I have the 17# Ballast?
40.649 Sold (Still miss the DA40 from time to time)
Fly and EAB Sportsman
Fly and EAB Sportsman
- Rich
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Re: Do I have the 17# Ballast?
As far as I can tell, for all the G1000 DA40s (the vast majority), installing the FAT will either have a minuscule, if any, effect on W&B or you take the 18-lb. hit in weight in exchange for a non-trivial beneficial forward shift in CG.
2002 DA40-180: MT, PowerFlow, 530W/430W, KAP140, ext. baggage, 1090 ES out, 2646 MTOW, 40gal., Surefly, Flightstream 210, Orion 600 LED, XeVision, Aspen E5
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Re: Do I have the 17# Ballast?
In my opinion after having owned both airplanes the NON-G1000 is superior in many different ways. I kept my steam gage airplane and sold my 2007XL.
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Re: Do I have the 17# Ballast?
Hello,
I also have the steam gauge.
Can you tell me what is better on this version from your point of view ?
Thanks.
I also have the steam gauge.
Can you tell me what is better on this version from your point of view ?
Thanks.
Arnaud
DA40 Star 180 / 40.026 / 2001
Wingtip, landing and taxing LED (Whelen)
Skitube
GNS430 NON-WAAS
Steam gauges
Non certified ADS-b
DA40 Star 180 / 40.026 / 2001
Wingtip, landing and taxing LED (Whelen)
Skitube
GNS430 NON-WAAS
Steam gauges
Non certified ADS-b
- Rich
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Re: Do I have the 17# Ballast?
It starts with these planes having been delivered lighter. And with a forward CG, allowing more load flexibility. In my case, I've chosen to add various options that now make my plane the one with the highest useful load listed on the wiki. But only by a couple of pounds - the three planes with the highest useful load are all pre-G1000 versions. Steve's plane (the only remaining pre-2004 version on the wiki) would leap-frog me were he to have the MTOW modification done.
Being simpler, they are more of a tabula rasa and can more easily be modified. Lots of examples:
- I got WAAS-enabled 12 years ago for $3600.
- ADS-B out was handled for just under $5K in two days four years ago.
- Single-unit failures have limited impact overall, since we have less "benefit" of overly-interdependent systems.
- We can choose from a variety of avionics upgrades that all wind up trimming even more weight from the airplane. I know of G5, Aspen, and G500 mods having been done. A lot of this has to do with these older ones being equipped similarly to thousands of non-Diamond aircraft.
I've stated the difficulties of adding the FAT conversion, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. I would have to give up some useful load but could minimize this and preserve CG by replacing the AI and HSI (which I plan to do anyway) and adding maybe 5 lb. in the skid plate. The net loss would then be about 15 lb. UL but CG would be preserved.
These are our advantages. Of course, newer ones have advantages in other areas. Faster, for one, though the Powerflow I added eats up some of that advantage.
2002 DA40-180: MT, PowerFlow, 530W/430W, KAP140, ext. baggage, 1090 ES out, 2646 MTOW, 40gal., Surefly, Flightstream 210, Orion 600 LED, XeVision, Aspen E5
- greg
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Re: Do I have the 17# Ballast?
They are definitely not lead. When I bought mine (second-hand), I bought the ballast at the same time, and had my mechanic install them as he reassembled the plane. They are a very shiny metal, one is rectangular, the other is a sort of L-shape. They are also extremely hard. When I had to replace the starter motor, it didn't quite fit. The mechanic tried filing the ballast to make room, and couldn't even manage to scratch it. He filed the starter instead.Ian Sage wrote: ↑Wed Jun 05, 2019 4:32 pmWe have not seen them in person yet, but as I understand it they are lead weights bolted directly to the front of the engine.waynemcc999 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 05, 2019 3:00 pm . . . How do I know if my aircraft has the 17 pound ballast up front? . . .
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Re: Do I have the 17# Ballast?
I finally was able to get to the hanger, open up the factory sealed box of nose ballast and take a cell photo of it.
No wonder why these are so expensive. You are looking at 17 pounds of beautiful stainless steel, not lead like I heard many times on this forum. In addition, each separate plate is individually finely machined to Aerospace type specs. I actually took them apart to admire the machining quality.
Also, they are made to be adjustable as you can remove individual SS plates if you wanted less nose ballast which I did not know before. You might even say they are overbuilt for the task, but I would prefer it that way to the alternative.
No wonder why these are so expensive. You are looking at 17 pounds of beautiful stainless steel, not lead like I heard many times on this forum. In addition, each separate plate is individually finely machined to Aerospace type specs. I actually took them apart to admire the machining quality.
Also, they are made to be adjustable as you can remove individual SS plates if you wanted less nose ballast which I did not know before. You might even say they are overbuilt for the task, but I would prefer it that way to the alternative.
Diamond Star XLS, N623DS, SN40.1076
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Re: Do I have the 17# Ballast?
We did have our first aircraft with the ballast come in with the ballast installed. The previous verbal description we received of them being lead weights is indeed incorrect. They are identical to the images posted by Don above. The only noteworthy difference I would add is that if you include the mounting hardware our postal scale has the total weight of the ballast at 17lbs 8oz.
- waynemcc999
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Re: Do I have the 17# Ballast?
Not sure if this helps anyone infer what they have in their aircraft, but the aircraft Ian references is my little girl... 40.922, 2008 DA40 XLS, G1000W, PowerFlow, 50 gal tanks, 3-bladed MT prop... and she's soon to be enhanced in a "super" way thanks to Ian and Rod.
Wayne McClelland
PPL/IR, 2008 Diamond Star DA40-XLS 40.922, KSBA
Photo logs of PilotsNPaws | Flying Doctors | Angel Flight | YouTube @GeezerGeekPilot
PPL/IR, 2008 Diamond Star DA40-XLS 40.922, KSBA
Photo logs of PilotsNPaws | Flying Doctors | Angel Flight | YouTube @GeezerGeekPilot
- Rick
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Re: Do I have the 17# Ballast?
Wayne, your gal is equipped much like mine, so I will be very interested in a PIREP once you are flying in "super" mode!waynemcc999 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 25, 2019 11:07 pmNot sure if this helps anyone infer what they have in their aircraft, but the aircraft Ian references is my little girl... 40.922, 2008 DA40 XLS, G1000W, PowerFlow, 50 gal tanks, 3-bladed MT prop... and she's soon to be enhanced in a "super" way thanks to Ian and Rod.
Roanoke, VA (KROA)