Diamond DA42-VI as a good Scandiavia / Euro tourer? vs Cirrus SR22?

He is in Norway

I reckon he is genuine. But a lot of people join up, make 1 post, and are not seen again.

No… if you want a massive response on a pilot forum, try a female identity Works on all forums actually… flying, ski forums, etc. Most “activities” are male dominated. But this is difficult, as this guy discovered, because the writing style gives you away as soon as you try to write more than a few lines.

Frankly, it happens (too) many times, here and elsewhere. People sign up, ask a question, and never come back.
I have largely stopped investing time on making posts on these types of threads.
At least one would expect the guy to come back here occasionally, answer any questions that may have come up, give a bit more background, etc. I mean, when you enter into a conversation, you just don’t leave, without saying anything, do you? It’s just basic etiquette.
Granted, it is still interesting to continue the discussion around various types, even if it is just “amongst us”, but it is still a bit odd.

Buckerfan wrote:

“what a bunch of weirdos, I ask an innocent question and instantly get hundreds of responses. Don’t these people have anything better to do?”

And he would be totally right I wasn’t able to fly this weekend so I spent it behind the keyboard.

Buckerfan wrote:

To be fair, he did push all the hot buttons – Cirrus vs anything, avgas vs jetA, single vs twin, and he is from across the pond, so we are all so eager to welcome him to Europe.

Plus he briefly mentioned turbine and no projects everything was there.

sedatedokc wrote:

Normally I would be going to Austria to check them out , but currently Austria is in lockdown. I would be buying a new DA42-VI.

There’s a few guys here in Oslo that have just ordered a brand new DA42-VI which will be delivered in September. You can probably check that one out if travel is still restricted then :)

sedatedokc wrote:

Is there any real issue operating a twin piston down to Southern Europe at FL100? Or is it best to stay around Scandinavia? I know at some point it turns into a long trip, but it seems like a good learning experience for me to build up hours.

If I’m able to fly it from Southern Europe to Scandinavia, I don’t see any problem for you to do it the opposite way. BTW I bought my DA42 in Sweden. If you’re not confident in the beginning to do it in one leg, start with shorter legs and nice stops where you will spend a day or two rather than making just a fuel stop. That will make your passengers happy. Regarding the dog, he’ll be ok up to FL120 without oxygen – a bit sleepy but ok.

Maybe you missed out my question….just to avoid misunderstandings….“1m”…what currency?

Given you are from Norway, but American, posting on a “Euro”-GA forum, admined from the UK…there are alot of currencies to choose from…and that might make a difference…for 1m NOK the selection isn’t that wide…to 1m GBP, that gives opportunities… :-)

But…now I see that you are aiming for a new DA-42…so guessing not NOK then…. :-) :-)

Great to see @sedatedokc back

A Q worth asking, before recommending everything between a 1939 twin and an F16 is the OP’s education and technical background.

That makes a dramatic difference to the ability to absorb the systems knowledge to operate some of these types. For example somebody who is up to speed in these areas could easily just buy a turboprop right away and not waste time and money on intermediate stages.

However the original Q was DA42 versus SR22. Both of these do require some technical competence to operate – as do all “complex” planes. The avionics will be nontrivial, for a start. Modern GA avionics are non-trivial. Then you need to know the various other systems and what to do if X fails.

Years ago I know a guy from the finance business who had no tech ability. He had almost unlimited funds and spent probably 10M GBP climbing up the food chain and climbing down again, failing to pass an IR checkride.

In Europe, most “real flying” knowledge is to be found among aircraft owners, not in schools and “clubs” where most people just fly in circles and when they don’t it is because somebody has done a lot of organisation and everybody follows him. And owners are not very social here. I don’t mean this in a bad way; they just don’t find the “airport bar scene” attractive, and they usually find the school/club scene oppressive (the instructors usually push out experienced pilots because they make the instructors look inexperienced). In the US, “going places” is not the process it is in Europe and people are a lot more casual about flying 500nm somewhere.

sedatedokc wrote:

I would be buying a new DA42-VI.

Ok, that puts all the issues re WAAS, engines e.t.c to bed. And therefore I guess the alternative would be to buy a brand new or very recent SR22 as the alternative.

sedatedokc wrote:

I also do want something new or almost new. As a beginner I want stability protection and and all the other newer safety features.

This is understandable too. In short, it comes down to twin engine or the shute in terms of safety. If this was me facing this choice and particularly in Scandinavia, the DA42 VI would be most definitly the way to go over the Cirrus. Why? Jet Fuel, Twin engine safety over the mostly quite cold waters over there and I think from what I gather that it is an airplane intended for people just like yourself, who come out of PPL training with maybe 200 hrs and wish to go onwards. Most folks on their way to the ATPL do exactly that, fly SEP for the first 100-150 hrs and then go onto a trainer like the DA42.

Having said that, the DA42-VI is far more than the original DA42, much more capable, stronger engines which can actually be overhauled rather than thrown away after one TBO, very decent range (with long range tanks which I personally would think absolutely necessary) and a good compromise in speed and performance .

You might want to take a look at this example with a very appropriate registration to get an idea what the VI actually is. This here looks like a great exemplar btw and not too old either, I don’t see FIKI in the description but the wings look like they do have TKS. However, if you want to buy new, then you will have the say what goes in there and in that regard I’d put as much “bells and whistles” as your budget allows.
https://www.planecheck.com?ent=da&id=50650

One way to get yourself acquainted with the DA42 is to do your IR and MEP (which you are going to need anyway) at a school which uses the DA42. That way you will learn what the airplane in general is, (most will be earlier versions, but you can always find a VI to testfly sometime in there) and how you like it. Then fly the SR22 in a similar environment. And maybe try one or two more.

sedatedokc wrote:

I am just trying to make sure I dont make some easily avoidable mistakes on my first aircraft purchase!

Well, the general and easily avoidable mistake most newcomers in airplane ownership make is to buy a trainer as they are used to from the flight school only to find out that they grow out of them in a few months. In your case, that is hardly so seeing what you are aiming for.

The most important thing when choosing a first airplane is to keep your mind open and to try out as much as you can. This is difficult I know in the current climate but worth it.

sedatedokc wrote:

Is there any real issue operating a twin piston down to Southern Europe at FL100? Or is it best to stay around Scandinavia? I know at some point it turns into a long trip, but it seems like a good learning experience for me to build up hours

On pistons no other than avgas availability. To cross the Alps obviously you will need to climb higher but for that you get oxygen unless you have a pressurized cabin.

For Southern Europe the ability to refuel with jet fuel is a definite advantage, particularly in Greece and in some other places. Other than that, I suggest have a look at the various trip reports here.