Aircraft I flew before: C172, PA44, R22 (didn't finish rotary conversion), and SR22T.
Placed order in Jan 2022, expected delivery Sept 2022, actual delivery February 2023. Went to London, ON factory to pickup. Upon arrival was told pickup won't happen due to one of the cylinders leaking oil. Pickup was rescheduled for 2 weeks later and I got a few Bose headsets out of it.
Subsequent 12 months: Flew ~100hrs, mostly around Ontario and Quebec, with several cross-border flights to the US. Longest being Toronto -> Chicago and Toronto -> Norfolk VA. I like to keep the legs under 3.5hrs at max cruise.
Downtime/unexpected maintenance/post-delivery issues:
For the most part, not terrible but had a few issues:
1. Co-pilot right break inoperative right from the factory, only noticed ~1 month into ownership. AME said it was due to a loose fittings on the brake caliper.
2. Noticed the oil pressure "needle" hopping around +/- 0.2 while in cruise. Replaced sensor, no effect. Still doing it to this day.
3. Some general interior trim issues, messy adhesive applications, and the ceiling air vent not properly secured (kept falling out). Re-secured it manually and cleaned up the adhesive gunk where I found it.
4. After ~6 months started experiencing vibrations on takeoff roll and landing in the 40-60kts speed region. Had it looked at several times, no obvious issues found, but this still occurs.
5. Recent Austro engine SB
Cost:
- Insurance: Full hull, $2M liability. $12k USD/year
- Hangar: $1800 CAD /month at CYKZ, now $2700 CAD / month at CYTZ (yes
)- 100hr inspection: $4500 CAD
- Annual: $6500 CAD
Impressions: Great first plane, flies like a dream, very forgiving and awesome avionics. After the SR22T thou, wish it was a little faster
All in all, zero regrets, would buy again. Will be starting my IFR when it gets a little warmer. Look forward to upgrading to a DA62 in a couple of years.
