Flew the Diamond DA42 Twin Star Today

N200PF · Post by **N200PF** » Fri Jul 14, 2006 11:15 pm

WHAT A RIDE!!! Have you flown it yet Chad?

It was a joy to fly but the coolest parts of the flight were the advancements in the systems, the FADEC controls and the Thielert engines! We shut one engine OFF during flight!

With 19:1 compression the prop stopped in about a half turn! SCARY SIGHT! It started right back up after some turns and climbs as fast as it stopped. Flight was really a non-event with blue line down at 83 knots. Then we shut the critical engine OFF!

Again not a ton of yaw with the auto feathering MT prop. Easiest flying twin I've ever been in! We also flew it with full back stick in a FULL STALL and with the 44 foot wings we were only coming down at about 700 fpm with FULL control authority. That was just plain AWESOME!

Features like the "Run Up Sequence" buttons do your run up for you on the roll and the full FADEC letting us cruise at 75% power on 5.3 gallons per hour per side along with the G1000 will certainly sell a few of these.

HOWEVER, on 90% power at 5500 we were truing out at about 160 kts and indicating 145.

I thought it was cool that the gear opperation is rated all the way up to Vne, until I found out that Vne is ony 194 kts. HUH? On a composit twin?

All in all for $530,000 I would rather have FIVE RV-7's!

- Peter

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 5:45 am

HA! Cool!

Hey, Question for ya... single engine rate of climb???

Hows it do?

CJ

bmurrish · Post by **bmurrish** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 9:43 am

Pete,

That is some fun stuff. Here is a picture of me shutting down the left engine on a Seneca. This was done in CO at 9500' ASL during the summer. I was lucky if I could get a 50fpm climb. Definitely wouldn't want to lose one over the mountains.

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 4:26 pm

Sounds like fun, Peter!! No, unfortunately I have not yet flown it. Our Diamond rep keeps threatening to bring it down for us to see, but nothing yet...

I hear the engines bounce a lot in rough air due to the "gooey" soft rubber engine mounts. They're needed because the engine vibrates A LOT. Could you see the props "floating" along with the engine movements?

I'm with you though...I'd rather have 5 RV's as well! One of each!

N200PF · Post by **N200PF** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 9:57 am

Chad -

We pulled the cowls before our flight so I DID get a chance to see the floating mounts. It's a VERY COOL idea that will take all kinds of stress off the airframe! Believe it or not, the mounts are so soft that we could push and pull the engine about two inches in any direction! With the cowl off, you can see that the entire engine moves as a unit when flexing on these mounts. The only concern I had were the hoses against the airframe. Over time, this is something to keep an eye on! ...and yes the engines were moving during flight but not as much as I thought. It was WEIRD to see the spinner / prop move up and down so much in comparison to the wings in the turbulence.

CJ - Rate of climb on one engine, two crew, 4500 msl, 17 degrees C and about 2/3 fuel was no more than 300 fpm on 90% power. Hey, at least we were climbing!

Bill - You've got GUTS shutting one down in the Senneca!!! The twins I've rented seem to barely stay running as it is! I'm not sure I could count on a restart when I most need it!

- Peter

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 4:37 pm

Does the DA42 have unfeathering accumulators? How does the restart work on those diesels?

Does the Seneca, Bill?

N200PF · Post by **N200PF** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 5:00 pm

The restart is simply cycle the plugs and turn the key. (FADEC) It starts in one turn! (on the ground or in the air)

They run electric MT props so I'm not sure how the defeather works?!? I guess if I had any chance in #&!^ of ever owning one he would have explained that part to me!

- Peter

I REALLY hope Lyc puts out a diesel in the next 18 months!!! The more I learn about them the more I like them!!!

- Peter

bmurrish · Post by **bmurrish** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 7:29 pm

cjensen wrote:Does the Seneca, Bill?

Chad, our Seneca uses oil pressure to unfeather the prop and nitrogen for feathering.

aparchment · Post by **aparchment** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 11:20 pm

Damn Peter, I am jealous. I drooled over the DA42 at Osh. I would love to get a flight in one. For a while it looked like we were going to get one at my local FBO, but it never materialized. The owner went with something a little more exotic -- a PBY. My chances of flying that are pretty much zero.

I was out yanking and banking the DA40 this morning with a young guy who is just about to get his PPL. I wanted him to remember the biggest reason to fly -- to have fun. By the end of a two hour flight he was grinning from ear to ear and very much into the fighter pilot feel of right hand on stick, left on throttle.

Antony