Trip Report on a DA42-VI Flown by an Owner

Any DA42 related topics.

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lfreeman
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Trip Report on a DA42-VI Flown by an Owner

Post by lfreeman »

http://www.rocketroute.com/blog/2012/10 ... d-da42-vi/

Very interesting report. It would appear that the VI is performing well. 189Kts at 89% power. Later 172Kts at 75% power.

Now if they will only certify and sell them here in the US.
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Re: Trip Report on a DA42-VI Flown by an Owner

Post by jon1746 »

Thanks for the link. I am seriously considering a DA42. I am looking for a more all weather aircraft. Not that I am going to go looking for trouble, but I would really like a more capable airplane. I have been looking at everything from a Twin Camache with boots, to a BO with TKS, or even a Barron. Everything brings me back to a DA42.

I would really like everybody's thoughts and advice?

Thanks
Jon
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Re: Trip Report on a DA42-VI Flown by an Owner

Post by carym »

jon1746 wrote:Thanks for the link. I am seriously considering a DA42. I am looking for a more all weather aircraft. Not that I am going to go looking for trouble, but I would really like a more capable airplane. I have been looking at everything from a Twin Camache with boots, to a BO with TKS, or even a Barron. Everything brings me back to a DA42.

I would really like everybody's thoughts and advice?

Thanks
Jon
Jon,
Look no further, I have the plane for you!
Cary
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S35 (1964 V-tail Bonanza)
Alaska adventure: http://mariashflying.tumblr.com
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Re: Trip Report on a DA42-VI Flown by an Owner

Post by jon1746 »

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GLDAS
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Re: Trip Report on a DA42-VI Flown by an Owner

Post by GLDAS »

lfreeman wrote:http://www.rocketroute.com/blog/2012/10 ... d-da42-vi/

Very interesting report. It would appear that the VI is performing well. 189Kts at 89% power. Later 172Kts at 75% power.

Now if they will only certify and sell them here in the US.
The aircraft is certified in USA I am told, though there is no handy document to point you to. Due to a backlog, however, the earliest US deliveries would be April 2013. Keep thinking evil thoughts about the Euro, and they will be that much less expensive, too!
dan
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found it

Post by GLDAS »

July 30, 2012
DA42NG VI Approval Letter https://www.dropbox.com/s/oqicl7x6ht10e ... G%20VI.pdf
Dan P. Eldridge
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Re: Trip Report on a DA42-VI Flown by an Owner

Post by lfreeman »

Yeah. Why no announcement? Cirrus or Cessna would have had that all over the aviation news sites. Given Beechcraft's current problems if Diamond moved aggressively in the U.S. on price and delivery then they could own the twin market for the foreseeable future.
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Re: Trip Report on a DA42-VI Flown by an Owner

Post by CFIDave »

I think the reason there's been no North American announcement about availability of the DA42-VI is because the plane's not yet available in North American. As reported earlier, Diamond has a backlog of European orders until around May of next year.

But more importantly, the folks in London, Ontario may not have figured out how to produce the aircraft. When DA42 sales were robust back around 2007, many DA42s were produced in Canada based on fuselages and other parts shipped from Austria, permitting Diamond to produce and deliver DA42s simultaneously in both Europe and North America. But after the Thielert insolvency, sales not surprisingly fell, ending production of new DA42s in Canada so that Austro-powered new DA42s have been produced only in Austria. (Canada does retrofit Austro engines to pre-existing DA42s.)

With a backlog of European DA42-VI orders, it's not clear that there's enough additional capacity for Diamond Austria to ship parts to London to permit Canadian DA42 production. Thus a North American customer for the DA42-VI might have to resort to European delivery from Austria, with the new aircraft ferried across the Atlantic.

Another issue is currency exchange rate uncertainty. If a North American customer were to get on the wait list now for European production, they might have to pay in dollars based on whatever the Euro is worth next May. If the looming "financial cliff" facing the US really drags down the value of the dollar relative to other currencies, a new DA42-VI might be even more expensive than the $800K or so that one would cost today in Euro-adjusted dollars.
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Re: Trip Report on a DA42-VI Flown by an Owner

Post by Paul »

[/quote]

Jon,
Look no further, I have the plane for you![/quote]

Cary if you sold yours, would you replace it with something else?
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Re: Trip Report on a DA42-VI Flown by an Owner

Post by carym »

Paul wrote: Cary if you sold yours, would you replace it with something else?
Paul,
This is a rather long story to your short question. When I first ordered the DA42 in 2005 I had a partner in the purchase. However, in the months before the airplane arrived, the partner backed out. The Diamond dealer assured me that I would have no problem getting another partner and I had already sold my C310 in anticipation of the DA42 purchase. Unfortunately, more than 5 years later I am still searching for that partner :(

I love the plane, but the cost of ownership is very high when used only for personal use (i.e., there are no deductions or write-offs). Further, the cost skyrocketed when Thielert declared bankruptcy and all the engine costs (gear, clutch, high pressure pump, credit for 1400 hours at TBR) that were promised me by the Diamond dealer vanished.

When I put my deposit on the plane it was advertised as a 200 kt plane and I saw this as the last plane I will ever own. When they downgraded the engines such that the plane was now a 160 kt plane, I still thought it would be all that I needed and wanted so I decided to not withdraw my pruchase order. If you exclude the high costs, this plane has more than met my expectations and desires. It is wonderful to fly (unlike the SR22), the ability to get through icing has been a godsend on multiple occasions, the fuel efficiency is amazing, and the peace of mind provided by the second engine remains important to me (remember I had 4 engine outs in my C310).

If I can get someone to buy the plane without having to take a financial bath I would sell it because I just can't afford the ongoing costs by myself. Whether or not I would get another plane is hard to answer because I am not sure that there is anything else out there that can match what I have with the DA42.
Cary
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S35 (1964 V-tail Bonanza)
Alaska adventure: http://mariashflying.tumblr.com
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