boscomantico wrote:
why did they make the sticks much too long? You can‘t rest your forearms on your legs and grab the stick properly (where all the switches are). This shows also in the latest FlightChops video, where he partially grabs the stick below the grip, on the bare metal…
Hmm. Thinking about it I do that a lot too (without actually thinking about it 
) A long (or tall) stick is perhaps good for precise maneuvering, while a shorter stick is better for relaxed cruising while hardly touching the stick, arms in the lap and holding the stick further down, the aircraft in perfect trim. The Saab Safir has the push to talk button a long way down on the stick for instance. If you hold the grip, you just about reach the button with the little finger. Cruising normally, you simply hold farther down, always in reach of the button. The Safir only has this one button on the stick though. I do the same with the Alphatrainer, although that stick is fairly short to start with and the push to talk on the top of the stick (awkward position for several reason). I think I do the same with the Cub too, and if I’m not fully mistaken, the “original” (or first, it had no radio originally) push to talk button is also there way down on the stick below the grip.
It depends on taste and what you are used to I guess, just like sitting in the left or right seat, which works equally well once getting used to it. A good stick do have much more room for alternate conditions. More precision when required/wanted and more relaxation when required/wanted. A yoke only have one use set. Either you grab it in all it’s awkwardness, or you engage the autopilot (or co pilot )
Would be interesting to know why Diamond is in love with sticks instead of yokes. Perhaps it’s simply lighter and simpler than a yoke? Much easier on the panel. Even the Boeing yoke is more like a stick in this respect, and Airbus use a FBW (F-16 style) side stick.
LeSving wrote:
Perhaps it’s simply lighter and simpler than a yoke?
I think that’s the reason and the fact that the lineage of Diamonds harks back to sailplanes (Dimona). Why anyone would build or buy a $1mio cruising airplane with a center stick is beyond me.
172driver wrote:
Why anyone would build or buy a $1mio cruising airplane with a center stick is beyond me.
Why anyone would buy a $1m diesel cruising SEP is beyond me I guess with enough money stuff like SEP/Twin/Jet/TP/yoke/stick becomes irrelevant, it’s more a matter how when can it be delivered. Still, it looks cool and distinctive, can be flown with a PPL SEP, an is the ultimate SEP money can buy (I think).
It may be product differentiation (against the market leader – the SR22) which started with their “light” models and now they are stuck with it for their bigger ones which apart from FTO training are purely IFR tourers.
People criticise the Diamond for its stick but probably just as many (non Cirrus owners) criticise the SR2x for the spring-loaded sidestick which encourages near-100% autopilot use. Personally, I prefer a yoke over both aircraft because it can be flown with a very light touch, for hours if needed.
LeSving wrote:
Still, it looks cool and distinctive, can be flown with a PPL SEP, an is the ultimate SEP money can buy (I think).
We have to agree to disagree here. I think it looks ugly, has these horrendous center sticks and simply makes no sense to me in any way, shape or form.
As for the ultimate SEP in production today that’s a matter of taste with not many to choose from.
Peter wrote:
Personally, I prefer a yoke over both aircraft because it can be flown with a very light touch, for hours if needed.
DA42 stick is much easier to fly than DA50/62 – it’s shorter and you can rest your arm on your leg while hand flying. On one flight to Spain when my autopilot malfunctioned, I hand-flew 8 hours in one day (2 times 4 hour legs, first leg 3 hours in solid IMC) and I didn’t feel sore arm. I’m note sure I’d feel the same with DA50/62 stick.
Yes, on many planes with stick controls you slide your hand down the stick if necessary in cruising flight, and rest your forearm in your lap. The possibility to do that versus hanging your arm in space for hours is why its a great solution in many planes. On my plane there are probably three or so different ways to hold the stick, depending on phase of flight.
I’ve never flown a plane with an autopilot, have little
interest in that, and like the ergonomics to work well. In that sense, yoke controls are a negative in any plane I might consider buying in the future, and sticks were a positive in the decision to buy the two I actually bought
The elimination of chains and sprockets etc (of all things) behind the panel is also a very good thing.
Due to business demand I hadn’t the time to post this earlier. But here is a video (just a quick & dirty cut) and some pictures of the DA50 arriving at Lelystad Airport (EHLE) end of October 2021. Flown from the Diamond factory (Wiener Neustadt) by one of our instructors and the owners of this plane.
She now has here final livery.
Here is a nice article about applying the decals for her livery (only in Dutch). Some interesting figures about this: it was way cheaper (thousands of euros) to use decals than spray painting by the Diamond factory and it is about 11 kg lighter than spray painting the same livery.
And yes @boscomantico, although I haven’t flown in this DA50, it shares the same cockpit frame with the DA62, the structure between the front window and side windows (gull doors) is wide. It obstructs your view when flying turns. Especially when turning base to final on a right hand circuit, you won’t see the runway until late. It is a bit like the view in a high wing airplane.
A colleague of mine has just written a detailed pilot review on PuF magazine. This was after a series of (short) flights.
While he tends to point out the positives of the aircraft in the article (after all, the flight tests were done in collaboration with Diamond in Austria), such as:
he also confirmed the exact same points that I mentioned, just from looking at the pics and reading the POH, i.e:
Also, current DA50s are NOT FIKI approved.
The price, fully equipped, is exactly 1 million €, so with tax, make it approx. 1.2 million for private buyers.
Anyone seriously interested should read it, as it is the first sort-of in depth-review available in the press, I guess.
This is pretty much consistent with my flying experience of DA50 – I would expect much much more for €1.2 million.
