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Re: DA62 or DA42

Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 7:45 pm
by VickersPilot
I just adjusted the FF default DA62 profile. Am I missing something? Maybe it depends on subscription level?

Re: DA62 or DA42

Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 2:20 am
by photoSteveZ
Send me a DM with your email address and I’ll reply to you with the files.

Re: DA62 or DA42

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2022 8:37 am
by Mike Jones
Hello again, had my 62 test flight at Gamston in the UK with Chris Dawes, Chris runs Gemstone and although clearly he is running a business he wasn't pushy in any way (probably as the aircraft sells itself). First impressions.... Rate of climb, wow! Quiet and much less vibration than the SR22. Easy to fly probably easier as G1000 is almost identical, deceleration on power reduction like a handbrake. Chris let me land it and he said that good for a first effort. The only thing I felt significantly different was the weight of the rudder pedals/nosewheel steering on the ground. I assumed with two engines it would be light/neutral but it was way heavier than the SR22.

OK so I am sold and have provisional approval from the my wife. So now negotiating and ticking the options boxes followed by a long wait (to give me time to get full IR and MultiEngine. The quote had gone up from the prices quoted just after the Wycombe show so have pushed back on that as it seems a bit mean as I was simply waiting for the test flight. Going to tick all the options but thinking about the following.

ADF - on my IR(R)/IMC we used ADF for holds and go around at some airfields, I know everyone says it's dead but is the UK out on it's own on this one? The one on my SR22 struggles as a result of composite fuselage and the antenna is probably something else to go wrong. By 2024 it should be a museum piece?
TAS - is this needed alongside ADSB in, I know the G1000 will blend both into a single display. The biggest risk is gliders using FLARM, I believe the only solution is an external box like Skyecho which I have displayed in Foreflight on the IPAD? But messy but I have had a couple of close calls with gliders.
Oxygen - how often will I use it. Effectively only really needed to get over the alps/bad weather - Chris was suggesting for the rare occasion use a separate bottle solution - thoughts appreciated.
Sat Com - I think I have been talked into this as weather is the biggest threat to any flight and as we have no NextRad in Europe it seems prudent to have it?

Hopefully I can be added to the list of expectant owners fairly soon, grandchildren seem to be arrive much quicker than DA62's

Cheers all

Re: DA62 or DA42

Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2022 7:39 pm
by Boatguy
Mike Jones wrote: Sat Jun 04, 2022 8:37 am Oxygen - how often will I use it. Effectively only really needed to get over the alps/bad weather - Chris was suggesting for the rare occasion use a separate bottle solution - thoughts appreciated.
How often did you use O2 in your SR22? Will the DA62 change your missions? Will you consider going further and reaching new destinations? Will those destinations either require or benefit from flying higher?

I personally use O2 at or above 10,000' which is virtually all trips over an hours and a half. But the geography in the western half of North America is a lot different than Europe.

And finally, would it be factor in resale?

Re: DA62 or DA42

Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2022 8:05 pm
by Ed McDonald
Here is my $0.02 worth:

ADF - waste of money and time in North America as NDB's are being shut down. I am not sure about Europe, however.
O2 - great to have when you need it. Even if your not overflying the ALPS it is nice to get up high to take advantage of the winds. Russ is right considering a potential resale sometime in the future.
TAS - we do not have ADS-B in Canada and I have TAS and it is worth it to see the rogues out there.
Sat/Com - I got the Sirius XM radio for weather and music. Not sure if Europe has an equivalent offering but it is worth it to access the radar images from your national weather provider to say nothing of icing forecasts, etc. Alternatively, a means to have ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot access the cellphone network.
Air Conditioning - even in Canada it is a nice feature to have to keep the aircraft cool. It is a greenhouse with all of those big windows. On that note, the Jet Shades are worth it.
Beringer Brakes - be sure to specify these brakes when they become available as they are bigger and better
Sheepskin seat covers - I have done 5 hour or longer flights and those seat covers really help
Wx Radar - Europe does not get the thunderstorms like we do in North America (although you do get them but they are nothing like we experience). Resale consideration as well.
TKS De-icing - Europe gets icing in the winter so it is a thought.

Re: DA62 or DA42

Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2022 9:02 pm
by VickersPilot
MIke, delighted you enjoyed the DA62... it is far superior to the SR22 in many ways. An opinion is worth what you pay for it, so discount as appropriate!

ADF - if you buy one, it may well be the last ever made. No new aircraft in Europe has these, except flight schools - it's now limited to a tool for UK flight schools to take advantage of poor students by having them off course for a few hours.

TAS - I did BUT I think with a 2024 delivery I'd be tempted to go without.. It's heavy, expensive and slowly becoming less necessary.

Oxygen - Chris is right but I would have skipped over your aircraft on the resale market if you didn't have it... pay now or pay later.

Sat Com - perhaps ask a friendly mechanic to do a neat install of this for you... http://golze.tech/ - it will even feed your ADS-B IN GTX345 with weather in Europe and sync to your iPad over FS510 - how cool is that..

DME - unfortunately, yes, the game is to skip the ADF but most of us are still getting the DME.

AirCon - yes, it's a $2m airplane - nobody wants to be dripping of sweat with passengers flying in wet clothes. Would never buy without.

Much of a price increase this season?

Re: DA62 or DA42

Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2022 7:39 am
by Pehu
Here are some thoughts for DA62 flying in Nordics and central europe:

ADF: SKIP - as these are being decommissioned all around Europe. You get RNP / ILS in most airports anyways.

TAS: BUY - In USA this might be something you can skip, but in Europe area ADS-B adaptation has not been growing too quickly. Not too expensive to buy, but I have found it valuable to detect stuff in the air that are not visible with ADS-B. Super valuable especially in night time.

Oxygen: BUY - DA62 is very happy in upper teens (FL150+) so oxygen is needed. Pair it with mountain high pulse system and the internal oxygen storage will last a long time. Yes, you can use external tank but carrying such is a bit cumbersome. Built-in is much easier. Yes, the system adds some weight, but I think thats not too big of an issue. And there have been times when the need for oxygen just comes unexpectedly, so good to have it available when needed. Resale value also to be considered.

Sat Com: This one is more complicated. Golze system is wonderful and cheap and it works. But getting the weather data to G1000 is nice, I think it gives a bit more information that is relevant to your flight path than Golze. But is it worth the extra you pay? Probably not. I do make calls at times, so I found it valuable in the AC. After 1+ year of flying, I would pick it again if making plane purchase now. Also to be considered is what comes next, as there is new tech around the corner. Might take a year or five thou.

DME: BUY. You want this. You need this.

AIRCON: SKIP - Airconditioning is heavy and takes a lot of capabilities in regards of carrying capacity. I could see a point using that in very warm places, but it is only used on ground. In air, you don't use it and there is no need. Even in Finland we sometime get super warm summers, then I just taxi doors open. Works and looks cool :D but I know some folks want to have aircon onboard. If you know you are not flying with a lot of pax and can take the additional weight in, then maybe yes. But another DA62 owner just recently was contemplating how to get rid of the AirCon just because it has affected their carrying capability and basically it is not needed that often at all.

TKS, WX radar: BUY. Self explaining. You need those.

Pekka

Re: DA62 or DA42

Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2022 1:24 pm
by CFIDave
Because of great market demand for DA62s here in North America, US buyers often consider buying used European DA62s. In the US, air conditioning is absolutely required for DA62 resale value. Think of the global market for DA62s. The DA62 has sufficient useful load for most owners even with the additional weight of air conditioning.

Re: DA62 or DA42

Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2022 8:10 pm
by Mike Jones
Thanks for all the thoughts and ideas. Seems like most are of the same opinion with the exception of the A/C. The impression I get is just like the Cirrus it will take the edge off but it’s not modern car effective. It is heavy but resale just tip the balance. One comment I received outside the forum was about the storm scope. With radar and sat weather the suggestion was it wasn’t really needed and in any case the composite hull stopped it from working that well. I assume the radar (which I am fully sold on) will show storm cells clearly? The salesman was wondering what all the fuss was about with Beringer, on the SR22 it’s night and day difference and apart from looking great they are very good value. I will share the pricing when the deal is done but it’s about 5% increase.

Re: DA62 or DA42

Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2022 4:31 pm
by VickersPilot
The newer radar you get in 2024 will likely reduce the need for a Stormscope. The GWX70 has been EoL for donkey's years. You'll get a better radar so won't worry about the need for stormscope.