DA62 on order or recently delivered?

[Jetblast]

We were told by the seller that, because production was at such a point when it got certified that, if it was not the 75 installed at production, it would be done afterwards under warranty or something like that.

[bdbogle]

Just sent the specs in for my DA62. Per Premier, they are estimating a SEP 24 delivery with serial number 62.302 coming over from Austria. Asking about the availability of the Business Seating configuration but probably won't hear anything for a while. Sucks that it appears to have slipped almost 2 quarters but at least I have a DA42 to continue building multi-engine time.

[Mike Jones]

My Serial 277 is still anticipated April 24 - I was also told the GWX75 will be installed from Serial 261, I think that requires Phase III so interesting that they are prepared to commit unless they have run out of stock of the GWX70. Also the updated Garmin TAS800 is now apparently being fitted to the DA50.

[Boatguy]

My Serial 277 is still anticipated April 24 - I was also told the GWX75 will be installed from Serial 261, I think that requires Phase III so interesting that they are prepared to commit unless they have run out of stock of the GWX70. Also the updated Garmin TAS800 is now apparently being fitted to the DA50.

The GWX75 is certified and shipping "very soon" to owners who purchased a "radar ready" DA62. Presumably it should also be shipping on new DA62's. The GWX8000 software unlock (similar to the SVT unlock) which is a major upgrade to the performance of the GWX75 requires Phase 3.

The certification date for Phase 3 has been "in about two quarters" for the last three years.

[MichaelM]

Just got word that my DA62 (62.255) arrived in London Canada (from Austria). Now estimating final delivery around the beginning of December. Looks like the GWX75 is installed.

[Boatguy]

Just got word that my DA62 (62.255) arrived in London Canada (from Austria). Now estimating final delivery around the beginning of December. Looks like the GWX75 is installed.

Congra tulations. Did you purchase the GWX 8000 upgrade? Did you get any information about Phase 3?

[MichaelM]

I didn't do the GWX 8000 yet. This is my first plane with onboard RADAR at all. So I figured I would see how I use the RADAR in general and what its capabilities are before paying for the upgrade. It seems like it is a pretty nice enhancement, but what to see what I have first.

No word on Phase III. I am not talking to Diamond directly, and I am sure the reseller isn't going to have any insight. I may go to London to ferry the plane home, in which case I will make some inquires when I am at the factory in a few weeks.

[Boatguy]

I didn't do the GWX 8000 yet. This is my first plane with onboard RADAR at all. So I figured I would see how I use the RADAR in general and what its capabilities are before paying for the upgrade. It seems like it is a pretty nice enhancement, but what to see what I have first.

No word on Phase III. I am not talking to Diamond directly, and I am sure the reseller isn't going to have any insight. I may go to London to ferry the plane home, in which case I will make some inquires when I am at the factory in a few weeks.

I've done it twice and highly recommend the pickup in London. Walk the factory floor and chat up the staff. See how they built your plane. Here's the hard part.

Process / quality control at London is very poor. Your plane will most likely have a number of defects. If you show up at 10am and fly away at noon, you'll take the defects home with you and spend the next six months trying to get them fixed by your not so local DSC while still under warranty.

This is not easy, but what I suggest is really best for everyone in the long run. Forget the schedule the distributor and factory give you and heavily discount the "our test pilot has approved the plane". Fly to London on the Sunday after they say the plane is ready and plan to be in London the entire week. This is strictly "pay me now or pay me later".

Go over every function in the plane. Every function. Here are a few examples of problems with recently delievered planes:

• TKS panels leaking into the wing and destroying fuel tank sender connections.
  LEMO plugs installed upside down
  LEMO plugs with no power or connection
  Poor quality paint and/or finish
  Stall heat failure requiring replacement
  Gear lock sensors not properly set triggering erroneous "check gear" warnings while taxiing.
  General fit/finish of the interior
  General fit/finish of exterior panels
  Water inside the wing which expanded when it froze and bulging wing panels that required a new wing
  Prop governors that failed within 2-3hrs

Because the general process control is poor, you could/will experience an entirely different set of issues. They do not have consistent flaws because they do not have a consistent process. As one former owner, and an A&P/IA described it to me, "they are built like each one is a custom project". The point is, take the entire week to let your plane sit out in the sub-zero temps, fly it 1-2hrs per day, and try every system in the plane to ensure it is working. Perform your own, rigorous, acceptance procedure. It sounds extreme, but sitting in KFSD or KBZN with these problems, and having to ferry the plane to CO or KS to have problems resolved while the clock is ticking on your warranty, is a lot worse.

I recommend you do not accept delivery on faith and trust. Develop a detailed test protocol. Find the problems and have them fixed while you are in London. You've waited 2yrs and spent $1.5M dollars. One more week is possibly the best investment you can make at this point. Everyone will be happier if the problems are identified and resolved before you leave the factory, than once you are home with your new airplane.

The DA62 is a wonderful plane, when it's all working. Of course it will not be perfect and problems will arise during ownership. We all accept that as aircraft owners. You have an opportunity to identify and resolve factory issues before your warranty begins, and before you are hours away from the nearest DSC that can resolve them under warranty.

Best of luck!

[Colin]

That is *very* good advice from Russ. I wish I had it back when I had a bunch of work done on my plane. They bent five pins when they were putting the LRUs back in and I had a failure on my first flight in the US, although I didn't understand it at the time. Tens of hours later it finally failed completely, which meant my mechanic was able to diagnose it. They also left the spade connectors off the emergency batteries in the nose compartment, which they SWORE couldn't happen since they have a check list.

If I were picking up a brand new DA62 I would be tempted to fly David Seastead up there for the first week so that he could, essentially, do and annual before I took delivery. That might not endear him to the factory. (I met a Cirrus A&P who did that for a clients third Cirrus and the factory called him after to say, "Please don't do that again.")

Also, for those that do not know Canada or smaller cities: London, ON is not that fun a place to spend a week (I say that having spent just a few nights). Food options were mostly fried or poutine. The city is not walkable. Although, fun fact, it holds the record for the number serial killers operating concurrently in a city (three). So plan for a week, definitely rent a car, and consider if Hamilton might be a better base (1 hr 20 mn drive each way, but if the factory says, "We have to do a day or two of work on this..." then you are pretty close to Toronto instead for your two days of down time.

[MichaelM]

Process / quality control at London is very poor.

I am wondering if the planes that were built in Austria typically have less of these types of issues? My plane was built over in Austria and flown over to London, this past week. I understand they do some additional things (not sure what) there before final delivery.

I think the recommendation is sound regardless of where the plane was build, just wondering.