Thoughts after 2 years of owning a DA40NG

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manatee
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Thoughts after 2 years of owning a DA40NG

Post by manatee »

Background:

Next month will be my 2 year ownership mark and I felt like posting some of my thoughts. I got into aviation in 2017 by getting my PPL to travel between cities in Texas, where I was living at the time. I learned in an old Piper Cherokee with steam gauges and paper charts. It was enjoyable and when I moved to the Washington DC area in 2019 I got my instrument rating. For the IR I learned in a C172S with a modern G1000 setup. Financially ownership became a possibility in 2020 and I did some research on what plane would fit my missions (travel in the east half of the US for recreation and occasional business). I decided on a new DA40NG for a variety of reasons, but most importantly:

-Price of a new plane made sense for tax strategy
-JET A is more future proof than AVGAS (unleaded AVGAS progress inspired little faith in me at the time)
-Quiet and extremely fuel efficient (low operating costs and high hull value)
-Useful load is enough for vast majority of my flights
-Fast enough for the vast majority of my flights
-No real pressure to upgrade: 42s and 62s have severe diminishing returns in my opinion on cost vs capability (this is all twins, not knocking on these planes). Understand some folks have different risk profiles (night/water/mountains etc)
-FADEC, automatic runup, infrequent oil changes, and other ease of use features reduce burden and risk of error for those with busy schedules (me)
-I enjoy the bubble canopy view and the overall feel of flying it more than comparable planes

Purchasing and initial ownership experience:

Unfortunately COVID delayed delivery of the plane from late 2020 to early 2021 which nullified the tax strategy I was going for. I ended up paying a ton of taxes (including 6% sales tax to Maryland). Maryland lost my check and I had a hand carry a paper copy to Baltimore which was cool. This was upsetting but honestly in hindsight I should have anticipated COVID could have induced delays. The contract also gave the seller leeway for delays and obviously all parties but me are incentivized to hype up early or on-time delivery regardless of the likelihood. I don't blame anyone except myself for this. The purchasing and delivery process was mostly uneventful aside from the delays. I read a ridiculous amount of posts from this forum prior to purchase so I could understand common ownership issues and generate a list of stuff to buy. The hangar situation in the DC area is not ideal (most airports are waitlisted for years around here) so I opted into hangaring at KBWI, which is one of the 3 class B airports near me. I actually really enjoy everything about KBWI except the monthly hangar cost. They have a dedicated 5000' GA runway and when it is down you can use the big runways and LARP as an airline pilot. It is also easy to taxi around and Signature provides 24/7 fuel/air/ground power/tow/snacks/drinks/rides around the local area or to the commercial side of the airport. If you want to impress passengers you can call ahead and have them stage the plane right outside so you can park and just walk through the lobby to the plane for a cool VIP experience. Signature seems understaffed though and I like to move the plane on the ground myself so I rarely do this. I also enjoy having airline and corporate jet traffic versus kamikaze student pilots like in KJYO or other nearby airports. Due to being in a class B in the SFRA though I almost always file IFR even with clear weather just to simplify things. Another downside is sometimes when traffic is heavy you can get sequenced for faster planes to land first; this is pretty uncommon though especially if you keep your speed up until final. This has happened to me maybe a handful of times in 2 years.

I set up a DiamondShare agreement and decided to test the waters with one other pilot. Not much to say about the program but like any lease you need to be able to trust who you choose. No pilots with less time/experience than me was one of my hard criteria. Instrument rated was also one of my requirements (not sure why anyone would subject themselves to not having an IR at this location (just look at the blue lines in skyvector) but there was a high time PPL offer). The first guy I had was a good pilot but struggled to understand maintenance happens and that the plane would have downtime (though understandly it was down for an AD for several months - more on that later). My second and current renter has had previous ownership experience and I trust her; it's been great so far. So far the worst that's happened is fingerprints on the G1000 screen, radios tuned to goofy frequencies, the oil cap being way too tight, and the panel light knobs left on the 'on' position. It could be much worse!

The first year was terrible for maintenance. The high pressure fuel pump AD took the plane down for 3ish months and the shop couldn't figure out why the engine was spewing coolant post-replacement. I ended up getting an entire new engine under warranty. I peg this as a combination of a poor transition of the diesel engines from Mercedes to Austro and bad luck. I'm also affected by the new MSB requiring regular oil samples/reduced TBR and no one seems to know how replacement pistons/cores are supposed to happen. The 2 year warranty is ending so if I have to replace another engine before 5 years of ownership I might just sell and get a plane with a more predictable maintenance schedule. Diamond makes nice products but their customer support is not impressive thus far.


Overall flying and owning:

I am averaging 100-150 Hobbs hours per year so far and it's been fantastic. A lot of my peers remind me I could have bought real estate with the airplane money and I remind them that you can sleep in a plane but you can't fly a house (unless you tie a lot of balloons to it). The memories and experiences of flying in this plane have been beautiful, unique, irreplaceable, and priceless. It would be impossible to replicate this with a rental in my opinion unless you have a dry lease type agreement. Flight schools own most rentals in the area and they lose too much money letting people take planes for low-time weekend trips. There are also not a huge amount of individually owned rental opportunities; I considered renting or DiamondSharing as a non-owner prior to purchase but availability was slim. I am sure many owners here can agree that ownership is an incomparable experience (even when it's frustrating). Due to production backlogs as well it is a good time to be owning. In true owner fashion, fear of making mistakes and getting in trouble with the FAA has been replaced with fear of accidently voiding my insurance coverage.


The future:

I plan to finish my CPL soon and maybe get my CFI to teach for fun on weekends (not in my plane though). As long as catastrophic maintenance issues don't keep cropping up I would love to keep this plane for years. If I make more money and my mission ever changes to super long distance or international then maybe an upgrade to a turbo prop or jet would make sense. If I could manage it financially I would still keep this plane since the flying at lower altitudes/speeds is just so enjoyable. Based on my weight creeping up over the years maybe I'll need a bump in useful load eventually too (or to carry kids around) but this is not an immediate concern. I would recommend this plane to others with similar missions to me. For those with more money to burn or a strong desire for a ballistic parachute maybe a Cirrus is the answer. In my opinion though they are comparable to twins in terms of diminishing returns (pretty sure new ones are over $1m nowadays?). With that money I'd just get an L39 and actually go fast (until the cost difference is spent on fuel). I don't come from a wealthy background and I have noted GA is mostly only accessible to those from wealthy backgrounds or those who are older and have already made money over the years. I got into investing as a young age so I feel like a huge outlier in this community (30 years old). It is sad to me because like real estate, cost has outpaced rise in income for most people over the last few decades. GA is also not afforded as many government incentives/protections as real estate since home ownership is of more interest to constituents compared to GA. With airport closures across the country and rising costs I don't see this trend reversing easily if ever. Wealth accumulates at the top and private aviation is getting more popular but I think a lot of wealthy folks prefer to opt into programs like NetJets/WheelsUp/FlexJets/whatever rather than actually own and operate their own aircraft. The training market will always exist but there is no obligation for the training airports to be in nice locations that developers are lobbying to buy or for the planes to be useful for anything other than training. For example: 1 hour life hot-swappable batteries for fully eletric trainers. I hope GA endures and that more people can experience what I have been privileged to experience in the last few years.
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Re: Thoughts after 2 years of owning a DA40NG

Post by georgebabu »

“Kamikaze students” 😂

“you can sleep in a plane but you can't fly a house (unless you tie a lot of balloons to it)” ❤️. Best line ever. Going to borrow it :)

Diamond Support…100% agreed. Some small improvements over the years. But surprisingly weak when you consider the incredible marketing of Cirrus (which is so so so tempting). Fortunately, the distributor I bought it through (Aviation Unlimited in Toronto) has been amazing.

Thanks for sharing! I’ve had a very similar (almost identical) experience to you. Love my DA40NG. Hope to keep it for many years.

Dream scenario: trade the DA40NG for a DA50 in a few years once there’s an engine track record (that’s good). Then get a turboprop for those longer distance businesss flights (so so frustrated by commercial airport shenanigans).
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Re: Thoughts after 2 years of owning a DA40NG

Post by CFIDave »

Derek:

Thanks for posting your experience. Despite having had just about the worst luck of any new owner with engine issues, it's great that you're still enjoying your plane so much -- which says something about how much fun the DA40 is to fly.

(I had the pleasure of delivering Derek's new plane to him at KBWI from the Diamond factory, and providing DA40NG transition training for him and multiple DiamondShare members. It's not that often that I get a chance to fly a DA40 in and out of a busy Class Bravo airport. :) )
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Donkadillapig
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Re: Thoughts after 2 years of owning a DA40NG

Post by Donkadillapig »

Derek,
you, George and I have been on nearly the exact same trajectory. I too took delivery in Apr 21, fortunately I was able to apply the asset into my business and did very well from the process. Credit to JA at Lifestyle he was spot on with the financials. It was so good my "non aviation" accountant sought a second opinion ;)
The HP pump MSB, so early on in ownership was maddending. The chaos that swirled was really quite incredible and as you noted it took months for anyone to really have a plan. In the end, I dodged the worst of it and was able to complete my IR and flew 180hrs in 2022. My insurance dropped by 20% this year (albeit from eye wateringly high, low time pilot rates.) I'm in the last stages of my CPL too, just polishing up those damn maneuvers.
The 50hr oil sample regime is only an inconvenience so far (negative results), once again, the whole core/engine replacement process seems a mystery to most (including, Diamond, the Mx shops involved and me).

After all this.... I think the only thing that has changed is my attitude. The enjoyment of flying the plane is still there. The ability to pop over to meetings 2-3 hrs away (8-10hrs by road) is fantastic. The only things that have changed are my expectations. I now have a very low bar for Diamonds customer service and communication. I now understand that beyond a certain point, the broker (any brokers) job is to sell airplanes, sooner or later their interest in you will diminish. A good Mx shop will help you BUT only if you are proactive and ask the right questions.
And therein lies the biggest change, now that I have just a little basic knowledge I've realized it's incumbent on the owner to "look after themselves".

With some trepidation, low expectations and eyes wide open I am about to take the next step towards upgrade. The 50 is a beauty in photos but knowing what I know now I wouldn't touch it with a poopy stick. I want absolutely no part in Diamond's customer led, RnD process.
For the bigger cockpit, greater load and safety factor in going "feet wet" to sunny, coconut tasting destinations, I'm opting for a 62.
I will say this... if I could simply jump to another broker/dealership and give them a chance to "earn" my business... I would
If I could switch OEM to a comparable product... I would
The reality is this though, this aint car buying lol

A seneca isn't a 62, isn't a M300 or 600... and no matter how much time you spend on Controller or online comparing them.. they just don't. (don't ask me how I know lol).

My name is Steve, and I like Austro engines... there... I said it!!!
:)
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Re: Thoughts after 2 years of owning a DA40NG

Post by shookie »

Question please, under the base DA40 Diamondshare monthly fee, how many hours / year is the member allowed to fly? How are overages handled? Thanks!
Last edited by shookie on Thu Jun 15, 2023 4:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Thoughts after 2 years of owning a DA40NG

Post by CFIDave »

After signing a 1 year "dry lease" agreement requiring monthly payments, DiamondShare Members can fly the plane up to 100 hours/year -- with restrictions such as any one Member can't place more than 3 reservations at a time on the plane's calendar, and a single reservation can't be for more than a week without the Owner's permission.

There's also usually a rate quoted in the agreement covering overages, i.e., for hours flown > 100. If a Member were to fly so many hours above 100 that it negatively affected aircraft availability for the Owner and other Members, the Owner might choose not to renew that Member's DiamondShare participation the following year. (That never seems to happen; the ability to fly up to 100 hours/year is usually more than enough for most recreational pilots.)
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Re: Thoughts after 2 years of owning a DA40NG

Post by Boatguy »

shookie wrote: Thu Jun 15, 2023 4:18 pm Question please, under the base DA40 Diamondshare monthly fee, how many hours / year is the member allowed to fly? How are overages handled? Thanks!
Any owner can "roll their own" dry lease arrangement with any number of lessees. There is nothing unique or proprietary about the DiamondShare program, other than someone else has done most of the work, assuming you trust their attorneys and how it will be interpreted in your state.

WRT "overages", that is a very delicate issue for the owner as it risks crossing over from a "dry lease" to a "rental". Rental involves a whole different set of FAA regulations and insurance issues. If you are the owner, you want to have an aviation attorney review the agreements.
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Re: Thoughts after 2 years of owning a DA40NG

Post by shookie »

BoatGuy and CFIDave - thank you very much for the information!
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