So far so good. I'm actually right on the verge of taking my private checkride, weekend after next! I did all my primary training in a DA-20 with a garmin 530. As luck would have it, right after I finished my training and scheduled the checkride, the DA-20 went down for its engine overhaul, so I jumped into the DA-40 and I've been getting up to speed in that before the big day. It took me about 5 hours dual to transition and solo in it. I'm sure someone with more flight experience could accomplish it in a single flight, or maybe two flights if they did their homework beforehand.

All in all it I'd say it flies very similar to the DA-20, stalls are a total non event... it just buffets and keeps on plowing away, no wing dropping. Slow flight, maneuvers, same deal as the DA-20, straight forward.

I've heard people say it bounces around a bit more when there's turbulence than a 172 would, I don't have anything but the DA-20 to compare it to but it doesn't seem any different than the DA-20 in that respect.

It does seems like it needs more rudder on takeoff than the DA-20. When you're flying it solo it's really easy to approach with to much speed... 70 knots on final is way to fast when you're alone, at that speed when you flair you float, and float and float... like the DA-20, but more so I think. I really haven't had any experience flying it XC, but I'm looking forward to it: Turn on the auto pilot, watch it follow the magenta line, look out the window for traffic and enjoy the ride. According to my CFI it has very reasonable fuel consumption at altitude when you lean it out right, less than 8 gallons per hour at a reasonable true air speed.

the biggest hangup for me was the constant speed prop since I'd had no experience with one till I switched, but even that wasn't to hard to transition over to.

Learning the G1000 wasn't to tough either, but I'd had quite a bit of use of the 530, which is similar enough. The biggest help in the g1000 transition department was the 24 dollar PC simulator you can buy at garmin's website. With a little bit of practice on there you get really quick at twisting the knobs to find whatever it is you're looking for, building flight plans, setting up timers, and sending frequencies to the in the nav and coms.

Otherwise, its just a really nice looking airplane. Its got ramp appeal. You look at it and you're like, "Yeah, that looks like a nice looking airplane!" haha.. The g1000 is cool; at first its hard to fight the "head down looking at the panel syndrome", but once you get over it, it flies as well as anything else just looking out the window, and its a nice big window at that. I'm sure if you're IFR it's really nice looking at big glossy displays with everything and then some at your fingertips.

Anyways I give it a big thumbs up! Have you flown in a G1000 Equipped plane?

 

C210N

 

 

Flew the DA-40 for around 20+ hours and I absolutely hated the plane down to my spinal cord... that thing feels like someone is kicking me all over the place when there was a LITTLE bit of turbulence...too sensitive, can't handle a 90 degree bank, the PFD and MFD SHUTS OFF..yes, it actually SHUTS OFF, never tried anything on that little lame plane. The C172 equipped with G1000 was just a dream, I loved that plane, if I did a 90degree bank the thing just shows you some red lines telling you that you're over-banking..that's it, no harm done and it's definitely a whole lot comfier!

 

My plane....

 

^^ Looks like we have the some kind. How do you like yours? mines awesome for about 15 feet then it craps out.

 

Yeah, mine is a classic bone white with subtle blue pinstriping.

 

Ours is still under construction...

 

You should check out a Pitts... they are what I would call "sensitive", but they handle those 90 degree banks pretty well! They were actually designed for and are legally allowed to do em too!

 

Nice G2's Marc. If fuel was 50% cheaper, and I had a 50% discount card at Gulfstream Long Beach. I'd call you.