You are merely privileged to look after it for the future generations.
I definitely own my plane, but that is also very definitely the way I feel about owing it. To buy something like my plane for two months pay and then be able to fly and enjoy it for over a decade so far is indeed a privilege, the kind granted to those who are (or were) perceptive to see the opportunity.
However I might not feel the same way about a new Cirrus or similar, they are tools that do a job. Somebody else will have to love them, some day 
l know every aspect of my planes history since it was new in 1971, I have corresponded or spoken with every owner since the mid-70s (the original co-owners are both dead, but the two more recent ones felt the same way) and when I pass it on it l’ll be in better shape than when I bought it. The latter is BTW true for virtually every interesting vehicle I’ve ever owned.
Indeed. All a part of the largely dysfunctional GA scene.
Like a PP watch, you never own it. You are merely privileged to look after it for the future generations.
What total BS.
Then shaft customers 50k for a WAAS upgrade.
BS all the way.
Most normal people with a real life are not going to stick around for a year or two. So this just drives opportunists and speculators.
Only really crap outdated out of touch management will think that running a loooong order book is of benefit to their company, to GA, or to anybody else. They could be getting their product out there, getting it well known, getting brand loyalty, getting product improvement input from people flying it. There are certainly countries in Europe where getting people to work is so hard that the only viable business is €5M turboprops, but I didn’t think Austria was one of them.
Peter wrote:
I agree it is completely stupid to have an order book like that and not just make the stuff.
Not necessarily.
Quite a few of those manufacturers who produce less than they can sell and keep huge waiting lists of salivating customers have done quite well in recent years. Pilatus, Cirrus, Diamond, only to name a few.
To keep prices as insane as they are, making the airplanes they build rare commodities is not a bad tactic.
From what I hear, they aren’t a nice company to work for.
I don’t know what’s the situation now but I know that previous owner wasn’t the easiest person 
From what I hear, they aren’t a nice company to work for.
Diamond either cannot find enough qualified staff
This is the most probable reason because they constantly have open job opportunities for various positions.
sedatedokc wrote:
Interesting thing to note (from an American and aviation beginner perspective) is that the factory is Austria, AFAIK, is operating for one shift per work day, closed weekends, closed holidays, closed for 2 weeks during the summer. I know European culture and work laws can be different, etc. But when I think of factories I think of them producing more to optimise the infrastructure they have. Not the case here.
European culture and work laws certainly don’t prevent working round the clock if it is economically viable. Car makers like VW, BMW, Mercedes etc. all have their German factories operating 24/7 afaik.
Diamond either cannot find enough qualified staff (labour shortage) or don’t want to pay people working on weekends and at night which usually includes paying surcharges to the workers.
The more people are paid, the less they work
I agree it is completely stupid to have an order book like that and not just make the stuff.
Diamond deliveries are indeed 2 years out.
Interesting thing to note (from an American and aviation beginner perspective) is that the factory is Austria, AFAIK, is operating for one shift per work day, closed weekends, closed holidays, closed for 2 weeks during the summer. I know European culture and work laws can be different, etc. But when I think of factories I think of them producing more to optimise the infrastructure they have. Not the case here.
There could very well be good reasons for them to keep the capacity as it is, I have no idea about the business economics here. But the Diamond factory isn’t operating at full tilt like one would imagine one in USA or China.
Sorry, you are right. I somehow skipped over the entry for Extra.
