The Kinder, Simpler, MORE Affordable Diamond Four Seater (Part
Four)
Howdy folks… we
left you hanging yesterday before we finished our flight test of
the DA40-180-FP… but have no fear, this is the end of this
particular magnum opus… It's a story quite worth
telling… because as you can guess, we found the FP version
of the Diamond Four seater to be an exceptional and cost-effective
little airplane.
So… as we were cruising along, it was time to see if the
sleek little DA40 offered good manners in the "WHOA" department.
Pull back on the power, assume a level attitude and be prepared to
wait. The DA40 holds its energy well, and has little drag in
the clean configuration--even without wheel pants. A strong
sideslip kills off any acceleration readily, but adds surprisingly
little drag to the proceedings.
In the neighborhood of 55-60 knots, power-off, the DA40 needs a
significant amount of positive pitch pressure to keep the speed
down and the energy in check… but the manners remain agile.
Roll is surprisingly unaffected in terms of total response though
pressures do lighten up noticeably. Rudder remains truly aggressive
and the pitch response seems virtually unaffected. Heading for the
moon, still cleaned up and power off, the DA40 offers a light
high-frequency buffet of low amplitude at least 5 knots before the
applicable stall attitude… though coaxing a break out of it
with our CG and loading was nearly fruitless unless we accelerated
the process a bit… and then all we got was a nodding
pitch-buck that settled into a light mush and a solid root/tail
buffet.
Flap extension produces a very light positive trim
change… even with the second notch cranked in (there are but
two notches of flaps available). The first notch seems like it adds
a fair bit of lift to the proceedings, with little to no drag,
while the second is pretty much all drag… but not quite
enough, in our opinion, to truly complete the airplane. A little
more flap (and a little more drag) would seem to be just what the
flight surgeon ordered.
With everything hanging in landing configuration, power-off, the
bird flirts with 45-50 kts IAS as it mushes along with obedient
rudder response and bit of sensitivity to roll inputs. Leveled out,
there is no overt tendency toward spins or departure, even full aft
stick. One can maneuver aggressively while fully mushed/stalled
with truly obedient control of the proceedings. Accelerated stalls
are quite benign, with actual breaks resulting in the bird
buffeting modestly and rolling level through the mush.
Since the bird is scheduled for a full spin series in the near
future, we did not beckon into this territory though I've been
promised the chance to try them out later (at the big Diamond Fest, this June 24-26th),
once the spin matrix is fully documented. I'm looking forward to
it… with that rudder, there should be few problems in
conventional spin entries and recoveries… though our
experience with the bird seems to indicate that accidental spins
will require a flyer that is somewhat asleep at the stick.
Our bird was equipped with the new Garmin G1000, an exquisite
new entry to the increasingly competitive glass panel market. We're
waiting for some final documentation from Garmin before doing a
more comprehensive write-up on this system (since we've already
done a story on the installation we flew in the C182, and
don't want to go over familiar territory), but the overall
impression is a darned good one. We tend to be a little more
impressed with the Avidyne system for the moment since their
operational experience in hundreds of airframes is doing wonders
for the system's maturity and usability, but Garmin is learning the
ropes swiftly. We sincerely appreciate the reversionary
capabilities of the G1000 (where either display can take over
primary duties if one tanks, while in-flight) and the
shut-down/re-initialization process in-flight, is the best of the
two… but the Avidyne's MFD architecture and engine
monitoring will require some true genius to overcome. Then again,
the PFD portion of the comparison is a virtual toss-up. Most
important, though, the way this system is integrated into the
DA40 is simply a visual delight. Everything fits readily within a
normal eye-level scan, backup instruments are positioned to avoid
unnecessary head movement during IFR/VFR transitions, and the
high-resolution visuals (even under a bright sun) are a joy to
behold (even to an instructor sitting on the right side of the
aircraft… where I sat throughout our flight test). One
caveat… certain types of sunglasses KILL much of the
display's clarity and contrast… so be prepared to switch
sunglasses to a more EFIS-friendly type if you want to keep them on
during flight.
Approach and landing in the FP are a mite different than the CS
version of the DA40 since the idling CS prop tends to offer a more
noticeable amount of drag than the speedy little
DA40-180-FP really needs. This baby is all about speed
management, because if you come streaking down final doing your
best imitation of an F16 on the make, then you're going to need a
fair piece of real estate to dissipate all that energy. There
simply is very little drag in the DA40/FP-even with the flaps
hanging at full attention. The DA40 slips aggressively, and is VERY
mild-mannered even while slicing through the ether while well over
onto its side. While the slip does kill off some energy and adds
some drag to the mix, this bird is so clean that the effect is, at
best, modest. Yes, it does help… but not all
that much.
Crosswind capability is just short of outstanding. While we
didn't have much more than 8-10 knots to deal with, it was plenty
obvious that the rudder would keep things straight no matter what,
and (with a slight bank into the wind) that truly massive
crosswinds could be easily dealt with. In our flights in the CS
version of the bird, we've seen the DA40 dispatch a direct 18-20 kt
cross with no worries whatsoever.
My first try at landing the DA40 was hysterical… I came
in at least 15 knots too fast, flaps up, to try a clean landing
that never seemed to slow down…leading to Campbell's
infamous "save face and go-around" test… on purpose, of
course (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). Using 80 knots on
the downwind, 70-75 knots on base and 65-70 knots on the final with
a bit of slip to control any speed build-up, the proceedings
went much better.. though the DA40 does exhibit a pronounced
tendency to float. With flaps down, that float is killed off
appreciably, though a bit more flap extension might be just what
the bird needs to keep the drag profile more manageable and kill
off residual floating in ground effect.
With proper speed management though, the bird will definitely
get itself stopped and off the runway in as little as 1000 feet (no
kidding, I did it once I quit playing speedy Gonzalez and trying to
float all the way to Hoboken). Braking action is good and the
rudder handles most directional chores all by its
lonesome, until one decelerates to a slow walk and
differential braking may become necessary.
ANN Test Pilot's Summary
OK… we really enjoyed this airplane. Were we a flight
school in need of a dual role rental bird… something that
could be rented out to local pilots or used for primary and
instrument training (especially for schools using Diamond's
outstanding two seaters-the best side-by-siders in GA, for the
moment); we'd be hard-pressed to find anything better. As a
lease-back bird, it makes excellent sense to an owner looking to
amortize the bird as efficiently as possible since the critter was
engineered extensively to be easy (and cheap) to maintain.. and
still be useful as a business or family flyer. We really liked the
bird and while we like the CS equipped DA40 a little more (for our
own purposes), we can't think of a straight-legged four seater that
offers more value for the dollar, in a flight-school/leaseback
role, than the FP. It's a hell of a well-designed airplane-and best
of all, it's supported by a maturing company that will be a
BIG part of the GA world for years to come.
Oh yeah… it's a ball to fly, boasts some truly sweet
control harmonies, and the visibility underneath that canopy is an
E-ticket ride that no one should miss… what a great way to
see the world. We had fun with this airplane.
Pros: Very mature design with excellent
handling and customer support. Great visibility. Very efficient.
Convenient back seat access - with a separate door! Excellent
engine cooling. Incredibly maintenance-friendly. G1000 panel is one
of the best overall EFIS installations we've seen…
especially due to positioning of backup instrumentation.
Cons: T-tail hard to pre-flight, seat belts
need slight re-apportionment, slippery on landing if speeds are not
adhered to carefully...
Next: ANN will be publishing flight test data
and research from our flights in the new Cirrus SR22-G2 and the
recently certificated Lancair Columbia 400 over the next several
days… don't miss them!