DA40 QUESTIONS

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BUDDY408

Filing Flight Plan
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Nov 12, 2013
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BUDDY408
HELLO ALL,
I AM CURRENTLY FLYING A DA40 ON A RENTAL BASIS. IT IS THE 2ND ONE I HAVE BEEN FLYING AND I HAVE 200HRS IN THE DA40. I LIKE THE PLANE AND THE G1000 EVEN BETTER. I HAVE THE OPTION TO PURCHASE THE ONE I AM FYLING FOR I BELIEVE A DECENT PRICE. THE ONLY QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU ALL IS THAT THE LEADING EDGE ON THE WING HAS LITTLE PITS AND OUR AIR POCKETS. HAS ANYONE SEEN THIS BEFORE? THE PLANE ALSO HAS REALLY NEVER BEEN HANGERED...IS THIS AN ISSUE? 950HRS ON THE PLANE.
 
Best resource for questions like this is the type club for the aircraft in question.

In the Buddy's instance, that will be www.diamondaviator.org
 
BUDDY408 said:
HELLO ALL,
I AM CURRENTLY FLYING A DA40 ON A RENTAL BASIS. IT IS THE 2ND ONE I HAVE BEEN FLYING AND I HAVE 200HRS IN THE DA40. I LIKE THE PLANE AND THE G1000 EVEN BETTER. I HAVE THE OPTION TO PURCHASE THE ONE I AM FYLING FOR I BELIEVE A DECENT PRICE.
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Loud noises!!

BUDDY408 said:
THE ONLY QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU ALL IS THAT THE LEADING EDGE ON THE WING HAS LITTLE PITS AND OUR AIR POCKETS. HAS ANYONE SEEN THIS BEFORE?
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Little pits? No. Air pockets? No. I would suggest posting some photos so we know what you're talking about, but I second the suggestion to check out a type club.
 
It sounds like the gel coat is blistering, not a particularly good thing.
 
Brad Z said:
Little pits? No. Air pockets? No. I would suggest posting some photos so we know what you're talking about, but I second the suggestion to check out a type club.
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Yes - Post pictures.

Also, is this particular DA40 equipped with a Caps Lock key? I hear they're really expensive to add via STC. ;)
 
Some DA40s have had this issue. I don't remember how much it costs to fix this, but it is not normal. www.diamondaviators.net is the Diamond forum that is more popular these days and I'm sure someone there can tell you what it takes to fix it.

I am biased here, but a far better solution would be just to buy my DA40 (http://www.controller.com/listingsd...ND-DA40-XLS/2008-DIAMOND-DA40-XLS/1283157.htm), which has always been hangared in a dry, climate controlled hangar and has no corrosion issues.
 
Wingsofglass said:
Some DA40s have had this issue. I don't remember how much it costs to fix this, but it is not normal. www.diamondaviators.net is the Diamond forum that is more popular these days and I'm sure someone there can tell you what it takes to fix it.

I am biased here, but a far better solution would be just to buy my DA40 (http://www.controller.com/listingsd...ND-DA40-XLS/2008-DIAMOND-DA40-XLS/1283157.htm), which has always been hangared in a dry, climate controlled hangar and has no corrosion issues.
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Pop off the delaminated gel coat, lay down new, fair and polish. If the DA-40 is made from polyester resin, there is no guaranty that the problem will not recur as polyester holds uncured styrenes in the matrix (same thing that causes blisters on fiberglass boats made of polyester). If they use vinylester, then the problem will be cured. Most likely cause of the problem is cold temps and high humidity between spraying the gelcoat into the mould and starting the layup.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Best resource for questions like this is the type club for the aircraft in question.

In the Buddy's instance, that will be www.diamondaviator.org
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I was actually thinking of buying a DA40 at one point in time and tried to access the DAA forums for questions and information. It ****ed me off. I think at the time it was only open to owners but it looks like it's now open to everyone but they're charging a fee to use it. F that.

I mean it wouldn't have altered my decision one way or the other, but you would think a company sponsored forum would want to encourage interest among prospective buyers, not actively drive it away.
 
diamondaviators.net is free, which is why diamondaviator.org is pretty much dead. Neither site has any affiliation with the manufacturer. It's not uncommon to have owner sites charge a fee. Cirrus owners charge $65 and Malibu owners charge $250. beechtalk.com is free and it's a great site.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I was actually thinking of buying a DA40 at one point in time and tried to access the DAA forums for questions and information. It ****ed me off. I think at the time it was only open to owners but it looks like it's now open to everyone but they're charging a fee to use it. F that.

I mean it wouldn't have altered my decision one way or the other, but you would think a company sponsored forum would want to encourage interest among prospective buyers, not actively drive it away.
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Company sponsored forum?!??? :no:

Diamond Aviators Association is a completely separate organization, not affiliated with Diamond Aircraft. I paid to join.

Cessna Pilots Association is not affiliated with Cessna. I paid to join.

Mooney Aircraft Pilots Association is not affiliated with Mooney. I paid to join.

Etc...

(Man, pilots are cheap bastards!)
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Company sponsored forum?!??? :no:

Diamond Aviators Association is a completely separate organization, not affiliated with Diamond Aircraft. I paid to join.

Cessna Pilots Association is not affiliated with Cessna. I paid to join.

Mooney Aircraft Pilots Association is not affiliated with Mooney. I paid to join.

Etc...

(Man, pilots are cheap bastards!)
Click to expand...

Maybe I have the sites confused - I tried to access one that appeared to be a company forum.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Maybe I have the sites confused - I tried to access one that appeared to be a company forum.
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There has never been a company forum, to my knowledge, and I've been paying attention for a long time.

Diamond Aviators Association (formerly DAPO, IIRC) is the owners group, and they charge. A bunch of people thought they didn't do much except have the forum, so they went and started a free forum, Diamond Aviators Net. Note the similarity in the URLs!

DAA/DAPO used to have a hard-copy magazine and likes to put lots of pictures of Diamond airplanes all over everything, so I guess you could confuse it with something company owned/sponsored - But what company in their right mind would sponsor an internet forum?
 
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