News

Cirrus SR20 vs. Diamond DA40

ByHank Gibson January 20, 2017

Note: For this article I am comparing a 2008 Cirrus SR20 G3 and a 2008 Diamond DA40 XLS.

Aircraft shopping can be a tedious process. First, a buyer needs to know what the mission is. How far will flights typically be, how many people will be on board, and how fast does the airplane need to be. Then, the buyer has to figure out what the budget is. Finally, a prospective owner needs to figure out how much airplane he or she can handle.

Two very good airplanes for newer pilots transitioning from a flight school 172 who need a faster airplane to build experience in, but also want to experience a glass panel, are the Cirrus SR20 G3 and the Diamond DA40 XLS.

Cirrus SR20 G3

The 2008 Cirrus SR20 G3 is a good airplane. The G3 is equipped with the 6 cylinder, Continental IO-360-ES, 200 HP engine. Performance-wise, an owner can expect 135-140 knots true at 9 GPH (Lean of Peak) or 145-150 knots true at 11.5-12 GPH (Rich of Peak). The 3 blade propeller equipped models have better takeoff and climb performance than the 2 blade propeller equipped planes, especially in high density altitude conditions.

The airplane is equipped with the Avidyne Entegra EX 5000 glass panel system. Most models out there will have Avidyne’s CMAX (Chart View) and all will have the Avidyne EMAX (Engine Monitoring). All came from the factory with the STEC 55x autopilot (though a handful will have the STEC 55 SR, which doesn’t have glideslope functionality). They also came from the factory with dual Garmin 430s. Most units have been upgraded to WAAS.

Some owners have upgraded the autopilot to the Avidyne DFC 90, which is a nice upgrade. The STEC 55x is a rate based autopilot which takes it’s commands from a hidden turn coordinator that is behind the instrument panel in front of the co-pilot’s seat. The STEC has some crosswind limitations on approaches where the pilot can actually fly better than the autopilot.

The DFC 90, however, is an attitude based autopilot that takes it’s commands from the attitude indicator on the Primary Flight Display (PFD). It also adds a Straight and Level button as well as an Indicated Airspeed hold button, adding safety and functionality. It does much better in crosswinds on an instrument approach then the STEC.

A select few SR20s have been upgraded to a single (or dual) Garmin GTN 650 touch screen GPS unit. The GTN 650 is a very nice upgrade. The Garmin 430 is a great unit, but the learning curve with the GTN 650 is much less. The touch screen setup makes a little more sense to the new user.

Values on the 2008 SR20 G3 with 1,000 hours or less run somewhere between $220,000-$260,000, depending on total time and equipment.

Diamond DA40 XLS

A handful of 2007 XLS DA40s were made, but not many. Most XLS models you will see are 2008 and later. These are equipped with the Lycoming IO-360, 4 cylinder, 180 HP engine with the Powerflow Exhaust STC. Due to the Powerflow Exhaust, the performance is equal to the SR20. At 6,000-8,000 feet, you will routinely see 140 knots true at 10-10.5 GPH. Higher altitudes will give slightly better performance and lower fuel burn. Like the SR20, the Diamond DA40 XLS comes with either a 2 blade or 3 blade prop. Go with the 3 blade as the takeoff and climb performance is much better.

Where the DA40 XLS has a leg up on the 2008 SR20 G3 Avidyne is in the avionics. Diamond got on the Garmin G1000 train a little sooner than Cirrus did and the XLS is equipped with the G1000 and GFC 700 autopilot. The Garmin GFC 700 autopilot is the best GA autopilot I have flown with. It is an amazing piece of equipment.

Most, if not all, DA40 XLS models will have both WAAS and Synthetic Vision. Cirrus didn’t get Synthetic Vision till they put the Cirrus Perspective by Garmin in their aircraft in the middle of 2008.

The DA40 has great visibility due to the massive amount of glass surrounding the pilot. The big glider wings give it excellent pop off the runway, but quite a different climb pitch attitude than most other piston single engine airplanes. The airplane does like to float on landing if the pilot doesn’t get the speed right.

Values on the 2008 Diamond DA40 XLS equipped with the Garmin G1000 are around the low-mid $200,000 range.

Comparison

Performance wise, the airplanes are about equal. Rich of peak, the Cirrus out performs the Diamond, but uses more fuel. Both have about 5 hour ranges (though the Cirrus has bigger fuel tanks, 56 gallons usable compared to the Diamond long range tanks of 50 gallons usable). Useful load is slightly better in the Diamond due to the fact that the Lycoming engine has 2 fewer cylinders than the Cirrus. The Cirrus does have a roomier back seat, a larger baggage area, and a side stick instead of a center stick, but the DA40 has a back door. The Cirrus also has the CAPS system, though an owner has to do a $15,000 repack every ten years. Airplane values are about the same.

I give a slight edge to the Diamond, though, and here’s why. For about the same price, a purchaser can get the Garmin G1000 system complete with the GFC 700 autopilot in the DA40 XLS. The Avidyne and STEC system is great, but the Garmin system is definitely above and beyond. To get the Garmin G1000 in an SR20, you’d have to look at the Cirrus Perspective by Garmin, which came out in late 2008, and you’d be paying $300,000 or more for a single engine piston with 200 HP (though you do get Air Conditioning!).

So for my money, I would go for the Diamond DA40 XLS. I believe you get a little bit more bang for your buck and you don’t lose anything with the DA40 XLS. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Cirrus, but comparing the two, I think the Diamond DA40 XLS rates a little higher.

A Sad Reminder
ByAndrew Robinson June 13, 2017June 22, 2017

It was a rainy Thursday afternoon and I was eating lunch with my family when my phone rang. My wife and I had just been discussing how miserable the weather was, so it was only natural that about 30 minutes later I was soaking wet and sitting in one of our Aerostars getting ready to take off for Ohio. I didn’t have much information about who I would be flying, or why, but I knew that I was going to pick someone up to fly them home; something about a missing airplane. So off I went into the muck. My biggest concern at that point being whether or not my clothes would ever dry out.

I arrived uneventfully and walked happily into the FBO, but found myself quickly in a very different atmosphere. It turned out I had two passengers to pick up, a husband and wife, and they had arrived at the FBO before me. As I walked in the door, the wife received a phone call. The person on the phone told her that search teams had found her father’s airplane crashed in the woods and that he was dead. I learned the rest of the details quickly and it was hard to stomach.

She was travelling home that day to be with family until they were able to locate her father. She was pregnant with her first baby and was in her third trimester. The baby was to be her dad’s first grandchild. He’d owned a Lake Amphibian for years and had stayed at home to work while his wife was out of town. He was last seen leaving work on Tuesday of that week and was reported missing on Thursday by his co-workers. Airport security footage showed him pulling the airplane out and taking off at 20:48 (after sunset) on Tuesday night.

After a few minutes we loaded the Aerostar and took off. It was the saddest flight I’ve ever done. Understandably, my passanger sobbed on and off from the time she got off the phone until we landed a couple of hours later. The weather seemed appropriate as we flew along through the rain and were greeted at our destination by a grief stricken family and a few reporters.

I said a sad goodbye and left, but I couldn’t help but think about their situation. It really hit close to home with me as it was easy to draw parallels between my family and theirs: she was very close in age to me and pregnant with her first child. My wife and I were new parents. Her dad had owned his airplane for about the same length of time that my dad has owned his Bonanza. Additionally, it isn’t uncommon for my parents to go a couple days without being able to reach each other because they both travel.

A Lake 250, the same type of aircraft involved in the accident.

But what happened..?

In the time since the accident, the NTSB has published their findings and unfortunately, it makes the situation sadder. It was completely avoidable.

Airport security cameras showed that after removing the airplane from the hangar, the pilot did not complete a preflight inspection or even a walkaround of any kind. He simply climbed in and left. The investigators were unable to find any traces or odor of fuel in the wreckage, nor any mechanical abnormalities with the airplane. In fact, according to the report, the engine was put on a test stand and ran perfectly. It would seem that the pilot simply never checked the fuel quantity and took off. The airport cameras captured the take off and a bright flash about 30 seconds after the aircraft departed.

Here is an excerpt from the report:

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: The pilot’s attempted 180-degree return to the runway immediately after takeoff in dark night conditions, which resulted in collision with trees and terrain. Also causal was the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a takeoff with little-to-no fuel on board the airplane.

Interestingly, the report also details their ability to use logbook information and fuel receipts to show the airplane was taken on a long cross country on its last flight and likely not fueled again.
Another thing which stuck out in my mind upon learning the details of the crash was how important it is to let someone know when you’re going flying. Having another person know roughly when a flight is leaving, where it’s going and and when to expect it back could potentially save the lives of the people on board. In the case of this accident, the pilot didn’t alert anyone that he was going flying and therefore, no one realized he was missing for 2 days.

From reading the NTSB report I don’t get the impression that he survived the crash, but I can’t help thinking about the possibility that he, or others in similar circumstances, could survive a crash and then die from their injuries because no one knew to look for them. When I flew charter, we weren’t legally allowed to take off VFR without letting someone at the company know the details of the flight. I’ve adopted this as my personal policy as well. One text message could be the difference between being rescued or not.

Finally, every pilot should ensure that a proper walk around is completed! It’s easy to assume everything is okay with an airplane, especially one that no one else has access too. In addition to a thorough preflight, I like to walk all the way around the airplane and visual check fuel caps, doors, chocks, ropes, etc., immediately before getting in to ensure that everything is ready. I know a couple of pilots who have taken off with various panels and compartments open simply because they got distracted during their walk around and never closed them. (A good policy is to never walk away and leave something open). Perhaps even more mind boggling is that he apparently didn’t look at the fuel gauges after start up and before take off. I also have to wonder how much fuel he had remaining upon completion of the previous flight.

“Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect” is likely a familiar quote to just about every pilot. It is often written on a poster with a picture of an old timey bi-plane hanging out of a tree, but I think that it is absolutely on point. Carelessness in the preflight and neglecting basic pilot responsibilities (in this case fuel planning) cost this father his life and his opportunity to meet his first grandchild.

I know this article is a real downer, but it’s supposed to be. Its tragic that accidents take place which are completely avoidable. Obviously this case was beyond the normal realm of carelessness and neglect, but, we as pilots need to be extremely careful not to get so comfortable with an airplane that we stop doing the things which are so basic and important to safety. One of my professors in school used to say “aviation is fun, but it plays for keeps,” which is an effective way to remind myself how important it is to do it right.

*Out of respect to the family, I have not included any specific names, tail numbers or airports in this article.
Redbird Skyport Fly-In Rescheduled
ByHank Gibson May 27, 2015

The Bluebonnet Fly-In at Redbird Skyport has been rescheduled due to weather and the recent flooding in San Marcos. The new date for the Bluebonnet Fly-In will be Saturday, June 6th from 10am-4pm.

Hank Gibson of Texas Top Aviation will still be presenting on Garmin 430/530 Approaches this Saturday at 2pm in the large conference room at Redbird.
Garmin Perspective Tips & Tricks
ByHank Gibson December 29, 2019December 29, 2019

The Garmin Perspective and Perspective + are awesome pieces of equipment. There is so much a pilot can do with this system that it can sometimes get overwhelming. There are two very important features of the Garmin Perspective that all IFR pilots need to know, but are tricky to do if the correct buttons aren’t pushed.

The two features of the Garmin Perspective I want to focus on today are the “Load Airway” feature and the “Hold at Waypoint” feature. The “Load Airway” feature is especially handy when flying IFR long distances with several airways as part of the clearance. Here’s how to utilize both on the Garmin Perspective.

Load Airway
- On your flight plan page, insert the waypoint where you will be joining the airway, or, if your clearance was radar vectors to join an airway, then insert the waypoint on the airway that begins the leg you will be joining on
- Press the Menu key on the keypad
- A menu will pop up. Scroll down to highlight Load Airway
- Highlight the Airway you want from the next menu that pops up then press Enter
- Then, a list of waypoints will display to exit the airway. Highlight the waypoint where you will be exiting the airway and Press Enter
- The cursor will then move down to Load at the bottom of the menu. Press Enter to load the airway
- The Airway and all the waypoints in between your entry and exit waypoints appear in your flight plan
- If you are getting vectors to join the airway, you’ll need to use the Activate Leg function to activate the leg you will be joining the airway on
  - On the Flight Plan page, highlight the waypoint that ends the leg you want to activate
  - Look for the ACT LEG soft key on the lower right hand side of the MFD and press
  - This Activates the leg on the airway. Then, just simply fly the heading assigned by ATC until the CDI needle centers showing you are on the airway
Hold At Waypoint

The Garmin Perspective allows pilots to place a holding pattern at any waypoint that is in the Nav Database (or any user created waypoint). Here’s how to do it.
- On the Flight Plan page, highlight the Waypoint that you want to hold over and press Menu on the keypad
- On the menu that pops up, highlight Hold At Waypoint and press Enter
- On the next menu that pops up, input either the inbound or outbound course, right or left turns, leg time or distance, and the EFC time, then highlight Load and press Enter
- You will see the hold now as a Waypoint in your flight plan
Making An Aircraft Purchase
ByHank Gibson March 26, 2014July 14, 2026

You have finally decided it’s time to make an aircraft purchase. You’ve got your private pilot certificate with an instrument rating.

You’ve been flying for 3 years, mainly renting the Piper Arrow at the local flight school. You’ve had some frustrations at times with scheduling, since the Arrow is also used for training at the flight school. The airplane isn’t very well taken care of, is kind of old, and breaks a lot.

After several weekends of trying to book the airplane to take a weekend trip to the family cabin, your frustration finally boils over. It’s time to make an aircraft purchase.

Time for Trade-A-Plane?

Here’s a better question: Have you bought an airplane before? Do you know the process? Do you know what to look for in maintenance records? Do you know what ADs are required? Is the airplane priced higher than it’s valued?

Overwhelmed yet? Texas Top Aviation is here to help in your Aircraft Purchase. Visit our Aircraft Purchase Consultation page for more information. Ready to buy? Contact Texas Top Aviation today!
Lightspeed Tango Headset
ByHank Gibson March 29, 2016June 2, 2016

I recently purchased the new, wireless, Lightspeed Tango headset. I’m a little OCD, so when a headset wire is banging against my shoulder while I’m trying to tune a radio or point something out, it’s a little annoying. A headset without the wires caught my eye.

As I’ve stated before in a previous article, I really like Lightspeed headsets. They are more comfortable than Bose, and a little bit more affordable too. The noise canceling quality is very high in the different Lightspeed models. I personally believe it got even better with the Lightspeed Tango.

Let’s talk about the obvious first. Not having a wire connecting you to the headset jacks is really nice. You’re not tethered to anything, so your head is free to move anywhere without getting yanked back in place. Lightspeed developed a new technology, called Lightspeed Link, which bypasses Bluetooth or Wifi and connects the Panel Interface to the headset wirelessly.

The Link technology works pretty well. The only problem I have noticed is in certain airplanes, I occasionally lose one ear, but after I wiggle the input wires around, the deaf ear comes back up. It may be a loose connector in the plane itself.

The really nice thing about the Lightspeed Tango is the fact that it doesn’t need AA batteries anymore. Lightspeed put rechargeable lithium ion batteries in both the Panel Interface and the headset. You get 12 hours of battery life out of both, far surpassing any length of time you would want to be in an airplane. If the battery dies, there is a handy aux cable that can connect the Panel Interface directly to the headset (the ion batteries recharge with the included wall charger and USB cables in 2 hours).

Though the Lightspeed Tango is slightly heavier than the Zulu 2 due to the Link hardware and the lithium ion battery, it is still extremely comfortable. The ear cups actually fit better over my ears and give me a better seal with glasses on then the Zulu 2 did. As with all Lightspeed products, there is no squeezing of my head and the cushions on top of the headset sit very comfortably on top of my head.

The Bluetooth is much simpler to use than the Zulu 2 and definitely simpler than the Bose A20. Sound quality is very good for phone calls and music. The volume control on the headset itself is set to make smaller adjustments so you don’t have to deal with wide swings in volume.

Overall, I’m a big fan of the Lightspeed Tango. I am recommending them to all the pilots I talk to. Rolling in at $400 cheaper than the Bose, you can’t go wrong.
Utilizing Personal Minimums
ByPedro Vargas-Lebron March 23, 2020April 1, 2020

The FAA defines personal minimums “as an individual pilot’s set of procedures, rules, criteria, and guidelines for deciding whether and under what conditions to operate (or continue operating) in the National Airspace System.” Have you actually given thought as to why we choose the personal minimums we do? From the beginning of initial pilot training, weather minimums were established for day-to-day training and during solo flight. I didn’t realize it at first, but I later learned these limits were not just an insurance mandate, but these minimums were set at the time to safely operate an aircraft based on my “then” current experience.

So here’s the question: what are your personal minimums and WHY do YOU have them? Do you ever lower or raise your minimums? Are your minimums based solely on your overall experience level or do they take into account other variables such as advanced avionics? For pilots that fly multiple aircraft like I do, can and do your minimums change in regard to category or type of aircraft you are flying? It’s a judgment decision on how you chose your minimums. However, it’s important that time is taken before you strap into the cockpit for each flight to critically think about the different risk factors and variables which may affect your decision for the minimums you choose.

To guide us, let’s try briefly apply the FAA’s Personal Minimums Checklist to see how risk factors might shape what personal minimums or decisions we make for the day. Remember, just because you have been flying with a certain set of minimums one day, doesn’t mean you can’t adjust your minimums to a higher value given an ever-changing situation.

The acronym most pilots have heard is PAVE:

Pilot– We all should be familiar with the acronym IMSAFE associated with this. It addresses variables such as Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, and Emotion. But how do you adjust your personal minimums using this guideline? Have you ever thought about raising your minimums for a training flight if you only got 4-6 hours of sleep, instead of 8? Or if you anticipate a hard IFR flight with a long day, maybe taking a safety pilot to mitigate the chance of a mistake if you’re forecasting having to shoot an approach to your weather planning minimums.

Aircraft– Personally, this is a really important factor for me when deciding what minimums to apply. I often spend a large majority of my time asking myself; is this aircraft properly equipped for the flight? This question goes beyond just looking at the logbook for a properly equipped and legal aircraft. A professional pilot should think further. Am I flying a traditional 6-pack “steam gauge” layout, non-slaved compass card, with a separate OBS gauge for course guidance? What if the aircraft doesn’t have an auto-pilot? What if I’m flying an aircraft equipped with a dual auto-pilot, dual GPS with an integrated glass cockpit? I can comfortably say my personal minimums change depending on the equipment I have available.

A pilot should also look at his/her recency with the aircraft. For example, if you are qualified to fly both airplanes and helicopters, maybe you should choose to have higher personal minimums in one particular airframe or if you haven’t flown that airframe within 30, 60 or 90 days. This is a very important factor for the owner/pilot.

EnVironment– Most of the time, when we think of environment, we ask ourselves, is the weather legal for me to take off and, more importantly, can I conduct this flight safely? Basic flight planning should have taught us to take into consideration crosswind limits, day versus night, and the type of airspace the flight is conducted in. Thought should also be given to how you set your personal minimums in regards to the particular type of environment you might rarely encounter. Flying an approach to your minimums in the flat plains of Texas during the day is one thing, but how would you adjust your weather minimums flying to a new airport, at night, with no moon illumination, in the mountains of Colorado? Could you reduce the risk and adjust your minimums in this scenario with two pilots?

External Pressures – What external pressures are affecting your flight? Passengers, the owner, “get-there-it is”, the desire to impress someone? Although external pressures should never be a factor when conducting a flight, they almost always play a role in your decision whether to conduct the flight or not. For example, a professional pilot gets hired to do a flight and the weather is below their personal minimums. The pilot could be tempted to lower their minimums by 100 feet to take the flight for a paying customer. This scenario plays out every day across the country whether it’s a professional pilot or owner/pilot. It would be foolish not to consider this type of pressure. Always make sure you have a plan if and when you encounter this situation. Planning your flight and having a plan to deal with these potential scenarios ahead of time ensures you stick to your minimums. It can be as simple as telling your passengers, or the owner, well ahead of your flight what your personal minimums are to accept the flight, and to ensure they, or you, have a back-up plan!

Most pilots will never break a hard limitation such as an airframe cross wind limitation, or engine limit, but the chances of breaking a personal minimum are realistic. Think about the last time you went on a diet and broke your plan because you were tempted by your friends or family during an outing. Self-imposed personal minimums can be hard to enforce and we need to acknowledge this as humans. Here are a few techniques that you can use to assist in making a decision using personal minimums and help reduce the influence of external pressures.

Step 1: Sit down with your CFI/CFII and fill out a personal minimums worksheet. Filling one out by yourself is a good start but having an outside objective view will help in making sure your personal minimums are realistic. Remember, it is easy to convince ourselves that we can do something even though we have set personal minimums. Talk with other pilots to see if you have set realistic expectations.

Step 2: Preflight planning must start a few days in advanced. It can be as easy as checking what the forecast might be and looking at the projected route, near-by alternate airports, and various approaches. This can be done quickly and will give you a heads up on whether the flight can be safely conducted or not. By alerting the passengers or owner early enough, alternate plans can be developed. An extra pilot can be added, the passengers can fly commercial, bring along a CFI, or cancel the trip altogether and seek alternate transportation. The main point is the decision was made well ahead of the flight when conditions didn’t look favorable. This helps in removing external pressures and ensures you don’t go below your personal minimums.

Step 3: Never be afraid to ask for a second opinion. Part 135 operators have set procedures for conducting flights which assist the pilots in making decisions. These set procedures help remove external pressures by allowing the pilot to say, “The rules don’t allow for this, or this is how we will conduct the flight!” However, under Part 91, the pilot has to take ownership for all phases of the flight. This is where talking it out with another pilot helps with mitigating external factors and the environment. Ideally, this person should have more experience and be able to talk through the situation. For instance, if I’m flying to a new destination, I often seek the advice from another pilot who’s familiar with the area. They may have key insights into weather patterns, preferred approaches, or hazards to avoid. In certain situations, asking for another pilot’s opinion might be what influences your go/no-go decision! You’ll be amazed how much you can learn just from talking to other pilots.

Step 4: Continue to build your experience and knowledge base. Building experience requires us to push our abilities, and sometimes this may be to the limit. However, this can be done in a controlled training environment or just going out and experiencing it. Get a new license, fly regularly with a CFI/CFII, and always try and take advantage of training opportunities. For example on your next flight from point A to point B, practice hand flying an approach, do a short field landing, a quick steep turn, etc. Quality flight time is always better than quantity. Continue to challenge yourself and try not to become complacent.

Personal minimums are a tool to assist in every pilot’s aeronautical decision making process. Use your personal minimums to guide your final go/no-go decision and remember to stick to the plan. I encourage you to review the FAA’s Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2). Appendix B has Sample Risk Management Scenarios and reviewing them will give a better understanding how to apply the techniques discussed to your everyday flying.

Pedro Vargas-Lebron is a King Air 200 and uH-60 Blackhawk Instructor pilot with the Texas Army National Guard. Pedro is a CFI/CFII/MEI both in airplanes and helicopters with over 4000 hours of flight time, half as an instructor pilot.