So I’m getting checked out in the schools diamonds and hopefully I’ll pick up a few students who want to fly it. Any advice for those of you that transitioned? Ive got about 300 hours in a Seminole, and although it flies the same, I’m sure there will be a lot I learn (FADEC, autopilot, etc.) from experience in the airplane. For those of you that have flown it, any advice? Thanks guys!
Getting Checked Out in the DA42
- Thread starter rt4388
- Start date
ocflyer
Pre-Flight
I've been flying an NG almost exclusively for the last 1.5 years or so. I really like the plane (except I wish I was flying a -VI with air conditioning). It is much simpler to deal with vs. a 6 handle twin in a lot of ways, also being turbocharged gives one more room to work regard OEI altitudes and performance. It seems friendly enough at blue line OEI but it can and will grow teeth if you get slow just like any other twin, as has been evidenced by fatals in the platform. I would argue given the simplicity of engine operations it is a safer product than a 6 handle equivalent, but it is certainly still possible to shut the wrong one down in a panic so it isn't pilot-proof...
The Austro-engined versions tend to be quite nose-heavy (especially if TKS is in the tank up there), so watch the W&B if you have two hefty dudes up front and nothing in back...
One thing about Diamonds in general is that as they speed up those long wings generate a lot more lift, be careful if you are hand flying right after level off and an initial trim set, and get distracted while she is still getting up to cruise IAS, because you could find yourself looking back a 350-400fpm climb at current trim setting after she picked up another 10-15 kts.
The 42 in particular is pitch-sensitive and really easy to get behind on in terms of hand flying in IMC coming out of a slower or more stable platform. In non-academic terms this is where you should spend your time with an instructor on this platform if you are instrument rated. Hand-fly it in IMC or simulated and really get some crazy turns and altitude changes and try to get some helmet fire going as well while a friendly is in the right seat. I spend 80% of my safety dollars in this and 20% in OEI (VMC Demo, Single Engine ILS, etc) in terms of ongoing instruction. It's a plane that flies just brilliantly on a GFC700 but if that thing goes Tango Uniform, or if you have a KAP-140 version it WILL go Tango Uniform, you will be happy to be proficient on hand-flying in in hard IFR (which is naturally where the autopilot will quit)...
I would say the systems in general are what a by-the-book school transition will focus on for an existing competent light twin pilot. There are electrical-issue scenarios in which your gear comes down whether you like it or not, and of course the ultimate bad day is when the engines both stop turning after exhausting backup battery resources if you were so unfortunate to have had dual alternator failures. That seems implausible yet there were actual alternator issues on the earlier planes (many still may be flying with the "dodgy" alternators as they are not cheap to replace!), so never say never...
Our running joke is the good news is if you had that sort of electrical issue and eventually both engines quit, don't worry the gear will be down for you "automatically". It's one of those things that might run through one's mind while over the north Atlantic or some other long hostile ocean crossing.
Finally, and perhaps besides IMC/Hood time hand flying with an instructor, the most important thing with this airplane is to be present when it is being fueled and be religious about testing the fuel if taking it from a school/rental op etc, although with jet fuel being heavier than avgas testing is more for contaminants and water. I've stood in 100 degree desert heat, in bitter cold, at night, or when the wife is complaining about delays, etc etc etc. No fuel goes into that plane without me being there to make damn sure it is Jet-A. Misfuelings with Avgas have already happened, I have a friend with a 42 who had his misfueled up in Northern California and by a fluke caught it on the paperwork out of the corner of his eye (his blog post about it here: https://flyingsummers.com/2018/01/06/didnt-start-the-engines-almost-died/ ). You do not want to be the pilot who has a dual flameout on departure in this plane from a misfueling...
The Austro-engined versions tend to be quite nose-heavy (especially if TKS is in the tank up there), so watch the W&B if you have two hefty dudes up front and nothing in back...
One thing about Diamonds in general is that as they speed up those long wings generate a lot more lift, be careful if you are hand flying right after level off and an initial trim set, and get distracted while she is still getting up to cruise IAS, because you could find yourself looking back a 350-400fpm climb at current trim setting after she picked up another 10-15 kts.
The 42 in particular is pitch-sensitive and really easy to get behind on in terms of hand flying in IMC coming out of a slower or more stable platform. In non-academic terms this is where you should spend your time with an instructor on this platform if you are instrument rated. Hand-fly it in IMC or simulated and really get some crazy turns and altitude changes and try to get some helmet fire going as well while a friendly is in the right seat. I spend 80% of my safety dollars in this and 20% in OEI (VMC Demo, Single Engine ILS, etc) in terms of ongoing instruction. It's a plane that flies just brilliantly on a GFC700 but if that thing goes Tango Uniform, or if you have a KAP-140 version it WILL go Tango Uniform, you will be happy to be proficient on hand-flying in in hard IFR (which is naturally where the autopilot will quit)...
I would say the systems in general are what a by-the-book school transition will focus on for an existing competent light twin pilot. There are electrical-issue scenarios in which your gear comes down whether you like it or not, and of course the ultimate bad day is when the engines both stop turning after exhausting backup battery resources if you were so unfortunate to have had dual alternator failures. That seems implausible yet there were actual alternator issues on the earlier planes (many still may be flying with the "dodgy" alternators as they are not cheap to replace!), so never say never...
Our running joke is the good news is if you had that sort of electrical issue and eventually both engines quit, don't worry the gear will be down for you "automatically". It's one of those things that might run through one's mind while over the north Atlantic or some other long hostile ocean crossing.
Finally, and perhaps besides IMC/Hood time hand flying with an instructor, the most important thing with this airplane is to be present when it is being fueled and be religious about testing the fuel if taking it from a school/rental op etc, although with jet fuel being heavier than avgas testing is more for contaminants and water. I've stood in 100 degree desert heat, in bitter cold, at night, or when the wife is complaining about delays, etc etc etc. No fuel goes into that plane without me being there to make damn sure it is Jet-A. Misfuelings with Avgas have already happened, I have a friend with a 42 who had his misfueled up in Northern California and by a fluke caught it on the paperwork out of the corner of his eye (his blog post about it here: https://flyingsummers.com/2018/01/06/didnt-start-the-engines-almost-died/ ). You do not want to be the pilot who has a dual flameout on departure in this plane from a misfueling...
flyingcheesehead
Touchdown! Greaser!
Huh? There are zero fatals for the DA42 in the NTSB database.
ocflyer
Pre-Flight
I'm not sure why you would think the NTSB database is all-inclusive for an Austrian-built plane that is owned/flown all over the world (especially by foreign flight schools) given it runs on Jet-A (with worldwide availbility issues of 100LL), has FADEC and a modern cockpit. and lends itself to transition into turbofan aircraft (popularity with 141 pilot mills)? Dig deeper, or not...
If you are flying/buying though, it would be prudent to dig deeper...
I believe it is inherently the safest piston twin around, but it can bite just like they all can in low/slow/high alpha engine failure regimes, and of course doing stupid things that people tend to do in twins (over gross, out of cg, not knowing the performance envelope for hot/high or high MEA high ISA condition engine-out scenarios, not having enough runway to stop when engine fails below vmc/aircraft dirty, etc etc etc).
ocflyer
Pre-Flight
The India crash:
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/14-...hes-in-maharashtra-over-past-6-months-1874983
The Thailand crash (141-like school with VIPs on board):
https://www.diamondaviators.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5601
There was one lost off the coast of Greece.
There are other fatals I just don't recall the details off the top of my head. Diamond isn't exactly running around advertising these and who would blame them, it is a very safe twin but not flawless in terms of fatal accident record, and the records are not easy to find in one central location like U.S. accidents...
*edit: Not an exhaustive list but some more fatals detailed in the German wikipedia page for the DA42: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_DA42
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/14-...hes-in-maharashtra-over-past-6-months-1874983
The Thailand crash (141-like school with VIPs on board):
https://www.diamondaviators.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5601
There was one lost off the coast of Greece.
There are other fatals I just don't recall the details off the top of my head. Diamond isn't exactly running around advertising these and who would blame them, it is a very safe twin but not flawless in terms of fatal accident record, and the records are not easy to find in one central location like U.S. accidents...
*edit: Not an exhaustive list but some more fatals detailed in the German wikipedia page for the DA42: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_DA42
Last edited:
timwinters
Ejection Handle Pulled
The worst part about flying a DA42 has to be BEING SEEN in a DA42.
I've only seen two in person, and both were the ugliest damned plane on the respective ramps.
Actually, ugly is an understatement.
DA40s are okay, but 42s? Ummmm...nope...
There's ugly...
There's butt ugly...
And then there's:
I've only seen two in person, and both were the ugliest damned plane on the respective ramps.
Actually, ugly is an understatement.
DA40s are okay, but 42s? Ummmm...nope...
There's ugly...
There's butt ugly...
And then there's:
ocflyer
Pre-Flight
"I resemble that remark!"
I actually think the 42/62 are amazing looking planes, like an actual bird. No accounting for taste I suppose. Anyway I know which twin I'd rather go "off-roading" in should it come to that, and it ain't any of the legacy competition
I actually think the 42/62 are amazing looking planes, like an actual bird. No accounting for taste I suppose. Anyway I know which twin I'd rather go "off-roading" in should it come to that, and it ain't any of the legacy competition
flyingcheesehead
Touchdown! Greaser!
The plane itself looks fine... But the engine nacelles are fugly.
evapilotaz
En-Route
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Drone airspace abuser
Never a fan of the skinny rear fuselage of the dymond airplanes.
flyingcheesehead
Touchdown! Greaser!
Right, but your point that I was replying to originally seemed to be that the DA42 was a handful on one engine because of a record of fatal crashes. While there is a big world out there, the vast majority of GA exists in the USA, and there are plenty of TwinStars here. With zero fatals in the US, the record seems to be pretty good, even if there are fatals in other parts of the world. And I don't see any evidence that the aircraft design had anything to do with either of those accidents either.