DA42 for rent

TangoWhiskey

TangoWhiskey

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Feb 23, 2005
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Midlothian, TX
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3Green
An FBO near me just added a G1000 DA40 and DA42 to their line. Block rates are $150/hr for the DA40 and $280/hr for the DA42. The price on that twin seems steep to me. Of course, diesel costs are sky high, and the DA42 isn't exactly a cheap aircraft.

Do you know of any other place that rents the DA42? What are they charging where you are?
 
Sawyer Aviation in Scottsdale, where I almost worked, has two DA-42s for rent. Both the G-1000 and steam go for $220 an hour or $198 block rate. Sounds like your place is a little steep.
 
I think the 42 is $218 at our school for block time and the 40 is $158. $280 seems pretty stiff.
 
do all of these places actually let you take them solo?
 
They used to have one at Schaumburg, but I don't think it's been available since three instructors took it out one day and geared it up!:hairraise:
 
FlyNE said:
do all of these places actually let you take them solo?
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The normal requirement at my school is 15 hours dual with a possible exception of reduced requirements.

I'm sure liability has a lot to do with that one.
 
$315/hr here. I don't understand why people rent them for that price.

I paid $85/dry, so about $110/hr wet for a DA40 here a year ago. $150 seems expensive for a basic trainer.

-Felix
 
I seek out DA40's and 42's wherever I go, and it seems that the going rate is generally $160 for the DA40 and $285 for the DA42, usually with very little difference.

At Naples, FL, the DA42 was $285 and you had to schedule 6 weeks out to get a 2-hr block!!!

Teller: There were never any steam DA42's... Are you sure they were DA42's? IE TwinStars?

Mostly, rental requirements are VERY reasonable. At UGN, the closest DA42 to me that I know of, they require 500TT, multi rating (duh), Instrument rating, 5 hours in the plane and 3 hours in the sim. Compare that to the local Seneca which requires 700TT or 100 multi plus 25 in type.

Also, as far as being reasonable... The local 1978 Seneca goes for $272.50/hr with fuel surcharge. I'll gladly pay an extra $12.50 for a brand-new airplane with a glass cockpit that I can actually rent on my own once I get the rating. :yes: Twins ain't cheap!!! :no:
 
I'm kind of surprised to hear how many of them are available for rent! How many DA42's has Diamond delivered?
 
TangoWhiskey said:
I'm kind of surprised to hear how many of them are available for rent! How many DA42's has Diamond delivered?
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There are 148 on the US registry, as far as I can tell. According to GAMA, Diamond delivered 68 in 2005, 163 in 2006, and 181 in 2007 for a total of 412 delivered so far. I'm sure there's a lot of worldwide interest, but I'd have thought the US would have at least half of them.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
There are 148 on the US registry, as far as I can tell. According to GAMA, Diamond delivered 68 in 2005, 163 in 2006, and 181 in 2007 for a total of 412 delivered so far. I'm sure there's a lot of worldwide interest, but I'd have thought the US would have at least half of them.
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Falcon has five of 'em. One was prior to the battery charge/FADEC fix; the other four after.
 
KennyFlys said:
Falcon has five of 'em. One was prior to the battery charge/FADEC fix; the other four after.
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Kenny,

What was the fix? I never heard.

It was in the POH, but was not in bold print or anything. Putting that in BIG BOLD PRINT would have been a good first step, but something tells me it wasn't that easy. :(
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Kenny,

What was the fix? I never heard.

It was in the POH, but was not in bold print or anything. Putting that in BIG BOLD PRINT would have been a good first step, but something tells me it wasn't that easy. :(
Click to expand...
This was something done after a DA-42 crashed in Germany. There was a thread on it here at one time. All I could find was just another thread of Ken boasting about his exploits of flying different airplanes (Previous to Lance). :)

I did find this link.

They had a dead battery so they started the aircraft on ground power. They didn't let the battery charge after starting the first engine nor after starting the second and proceeded to an immediate departure. Upon climbout, they raised the gear. That sucked what little power there was in the battery and immediately killed the FADEC computer. Suddenly, there was no fuel allowed to the engines and they died. Oops!

I don't know what was actually done to make the change. I had a brief explanation a backup battery was installed that was dedicated to the FADEC similar to one for the G1000 suite.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Teller: There were never any steam DA42's... Are you sure they were DA42's? IE TwinStars?
Click to expand...

It is, indeed a TwinStar. They have "G1000" written next to most of their planes that have the G1000, but not next to the new DA-42, so I just assumed. I know I got the price right, at least :D
 
KennyFlys said:
This was something done after a DA-42 crashed in Germany.
Click to expand...

I'm familiar with the accident, I just never heard what the fix was...

I don't know what was actually done to make the change. I had a brief explanation a backup battery was installed that was dedicated to the FADEC similar to one for the G1000 suite.
Click to expand...

...but I thought you might know since you mentioned you knew there were both some pre- and post-fix birds on the line. Can you find out? I'm curious.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
I'm familiar with the accident, I just never heard what the fix was...
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All I understand right now is a battery added which is dedicated to the FADEC. That's second-hand.

...but I thought you might know since you mentioned you knew there were both some pre- and post-fix birds on the line. Can you find out? I'm curious.
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I'll find out a lot more in the next several months when I begin ME and MEI in the Twinstar. But, when I get a chance in the coming weeks I'll dig into the manual as well as one of the birds and see what more I can figure out.

Right now, things are in kind of a twist between my being busy and worse... the runway at FFC is shut down for sealing and markings repainting. All the planes are shuffled at one of three other locations and I'm driving twice as far as I would have had to while on loan from my intended location. In time...
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Kenny,

What was the fix? I never heard.

It was in the POH, but was not in bold print or anything. Putting that in BIG BOLD PRINT would have been a good first step, but something tells me it wasn't that easy. :(
Click to expand...
I found something... the actual service bulletin which should probably be an AD. But, I don't think that many DA-42s had been produced prior to the "discovered" shortfall.

http://download.aopa.org/epilot/2007/070830diamondsb.pdf

Installation of additional ECU Backup Batteries to supply electric power solely to the ECU in the course of high transient causing a short term voltage drop in case of insufficient main battery power. The ECU Backup Battery capacity is sufficient for at least 30 minutes engine operation.
Click to expand...
 
gprellwitz said:
They used to have one at Schaumburg, but I don't think it's been available since three instructors took it out one day and geared it up!:hairraise:
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Grant,

I just found out today that that particular plane is now the second one on the line at Skill Aviation at UGN! Apparently the gear-up doesn't cause much damage - The steps and exhausts held the plane off the ground, so the belly and nacelles didn't have a single scrape! Props hit of course, but all they replaced was the props, gearboxes, exhausts and steps and it's good to go.

I was talking with the owner and mentioned what you said above, and he said "Yeah, that's the plane you'll be flying tomorrow." :eek: :rofl:

(Maybe... If this sickness continues to get better... And we stay low. Otherwise, it's ground, sim, and crawl all over the plane looking at all the pieces-parts...)
 
Kent, As long as the front is past tomorrow, file and take it up on top! That's if you can trust engines made by someone under investigation! :) Glad to hear it didn't suffer too much damage.
 
gprellwitz said:
Kent, As long as the front is past tomorrow, file and take it up on top! That's if you can trust engines made by someone under investigation! :) Glad to hear it didn't suffer too much damage.
Click to expand...

Naah, I'm probably gonna stay low in case of an ear block. Probably 3500 MSL or lower.
 
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