Piper PA46 Maintenance Shops

Diamond DA50 RG

ByHank Gibson July 15, 2020July 15, 2020

Diamond Aircraft announced in June that the company is going to bring it’s Diamond DA50 RG to market. The company expects European certification in early 2021 and FAA certification toward the end of 2021.

This is not the first iteration of the Diamond DA50, but it is the first with retractable gear. Diamond is known for it’s use of Jet A burning piston engines and you can’t beat the efficiency. The technology in the Continental CD-300 Jet A piston engine is new, but it has been in development for a long time. Diamond advertises 180 knots on only 9 GPH, which is just about as efficient as you can get with a single engine piston.

The addition of the retractable gear from previous iterations of the Diamond DA50 RG is a nice touch. Diamond already had the RG technology from the DA42 Twin Star as well as the more powerful cross country machine, the DA62. Equipping the single engine Diamond DA50 RG with retractable gear just makes sense. It definitely puts the airplane in a class of it’s own.

Diamond’s website shows a nice roomy cabin in the DA50 RG with plenty of space to spread out, plus plenty of baggage. The fuel tanks only hold 50 gallons of Jet A (which still gives a 4 hour + range with an hour reserve at 9 GPH), so the payload, even with full fuel, is an eye popping 897 lbs, though Diamond’s site does not mention if that includes TKS, air conditioning, and oxygen. If it does, then compare that to a fully fueled Cirrus SR22T (which would give an equal speed) at 537 lbs and the Diamond DA50 RG has an argument.

As with all new airplanes these days, the Diamond DA50 RG has the Garmin G1000 NXi complete with keypad and the GFC 700 autopilot with yaw damper. The interior has a 3 person bench seat for the back seat, which, at least to the naked eye, appears that it might actually fit 3 adults, albeit small ones. Diamond’s signature stick in the middle of the seat is still present for the front seats, but the right seat stick in the Diamond DA50 RG is removable for passenger comfort, a nice touch.

The single engine piston market is a hard one to break in to since Cirrus has such a leg up on the competition. However, with a Jet A burning engine, a higher payload, and a roomier cabin, the Diamond DA50 RG might actually be able to make an impact. Look for this bird at Sun N Fun and Osh Kosh in 2021.

That Pesky Rudder

ByHank Gibson July 20, 2015July 27, 2015

Whenever I get in an airplane with a pilot for recurrent training, I can assure myself that I will mention rudder usage more than once during the flight.  If it is in a tailwheel (or if the pilot is doing tailwheel training), I’m going to mention the rudder a lot.  How do I know this?  Because basic rudder skills are actually one of the most difficult things to master in flying.

Let’s start simple.  What does the rudder do?  The dictionary definition is it controls the movement about the vertical axis of the airplane.  If you stick a pole down through the CG of the airplane and rotate the airplane around that pole, this is the vertical axis.  Looking at it another way, the rudder moves the airplane’s nose left and right.  Keep this in mind as we move on.

Every pilot thinks about the rudder during the takeoff roll.  Because of the torque effect, the pilot must add right rudder during the takeoff roll to stay on the runway centerline.  Depending on the airplane’s horsepower, more rudder pressure is needed in higher powered airplanes.  The problem usually shows up once the airplane gets in the air.

In the worst situation, after takeoff, the pilot will set both feet on the floor and completely disregard the rudder.  Torque effect and now P-factor are continuing to cause the airplane to yaw left, causing the need for right rudder.  With his feet on the floor, though, the pilot is allowing the airplane to yaw.  It’s not terribly noticeable for him in the front seat, but the back seat passengers (especially in a six seat or larger airplane) are certainly feeling it.

One particular problem spot on the climb is the climbing left turn.  In a climbing left turn, training says to add left rudder since it is a left turn (see below for the reasoning).  But, since the airplane is climbing and therefore experiencing left yawing tendencies due to the aforementioned effects, the pilot needs to continue pressing the right rudder, though the pressure won’t be as much as in a straight climb.  Watch the ball the next time you make a climbing left hand turn and it’ll make a believer out of you.

I find only a handful of pilots are this egregious.  Most pilots have rudder problems in turns and in turbulence.  We’ll tackle turns first.  As we all learned when we first started flying, due to adverse yaw, a pilot must add rudder in the turn’s direction.  Again, this isn’t usually where the problem shows up.  During the rollout is the problem area.

Let’s take a turn to the left.  The pilot rolls in, adding left rudder, arrives at his heading, then begins to roll out with the ailerons.  Left adverse yaw is now being experienced and right rudder is needed to smoothly transition back to level flight.  Need some visual assistance?  Watch the nose the next time you make a turn. If you are working the rudder properly, the nose will pivot on one point in the horizon.  If you aren’t using the rudder properly, the nose will draw a U shape on the horizon.  Try making some turns without rudder, see what it looks like, then use the rudder properly.  You’ll notice a big difference.

Finally, let’s talk turbulence.  As we all know, turbulence in the hot summer afternoon is quite pronounced. When the airplane experiences a bump, it usually doesn’t bounce straight up in the air.  There is usually some kind of rolling motion involved.  As the pilot corrects this rolling motion by moving the ailerons, adverse yaw is experienced (just like rolling into and out of a turn that we talked about above), so rudder is needed.  There isn’t a need to stomp on the rudder or you’ll cause the airplane to severely yaw in the other direction, but rudder pressure is needed.

Final approach is where this gets most pilots.  By controlling the nose and not allowing it to move around on final by using the rudder, this will make your approaches a little more stabilized leading to a more successful landing.

Feeling lost when it comes to the rudder?  Ask your instructor the next time you go fly to do some rudder exercises.  Most instructors don’t emphasize these basic stick and rudder skills which leaves pilots lacking as they move on in their aviation lives.  So make it a point to do some basic rudder work the next time you fly with your instructor.

AOPA Air Safety Foundation Survival Seminar

ByHank Gibson January 17, 2015January 17, 2015

The AOPA’s Air Safety Foundation will be returning to Texas this coming week with their After the Crash:  Surviving An Aircraft Accident seminar.  Though aircraft accidents are rare to most pilots, they still happen.  It is best to be prepared with the proper knowledge and supplies in case you are stranded in a remote area while awaiting help to arrive.

The seminar will cover the following items:

• How and what to pack in a survival kit
• Ways to help search parties find you
• What to do first immediately after the off airport landing
• How to survive will awaiting rescue

The seminar will be put on in Houston, San Antonio, and Austin on three consecutive nights, the 20th-22nd, so everyone will get a chance to attend.  The location and times are below.

No signup is necessary, just show up and be ready to learn.  The seminar does count for WINGs credit and there will be a sign in sheet at each event.

The AOPA Air Safety Foundation puts on numerous seminars throughout the country during the year covering a wide variety of topics relevant to general aviation pilots.  The content is always interesting and the presenter always knowledgeable and entertaining.  Hope to see you there!

Tuesday, January 20th

Wyndham Hotel, Houston West
14703 Park Row Blvd.
Houston, TX 77079
7:00pm-9:00pm

Wednesday, January 21st

Doubletree Hotel, San Antonio Airport
37 NE Loop 410
San Antonio, TX 78216
7:00pm-9:00pm

Thursday, January 22nd

Omni Hotel, Southpark
4140 Governor’s Row
Austin, TX 78744
7:00pm-9:00pm

For more information on the event and the locations, please click here.

Is The Approach Active? Flying Garmin Instrument Approaches Seminar

ByHank Gibson June 19, 2018June 30, 2018

Hank Gibson from Texas Top Aviation will be presenting a seminar on flying Garmin instrument approaches with the different Garmin GPS units.  Whether you have a Garmin 530/430 unit, a Garmin GTN 750/650 unit, or a Garmin G1000, all will be discussed.  You’ll walk away with some tips and tricks, plus a better understanding of your Garmin unit.

WINGs credit will be given for attending.  The seminar is hosted by Redbird Skyport at the San Marcos Airport (KHYI) in Redbird’s large conference room.  The seminar will begin at 10am on Saturday, June 30th, 2018.

It’s always quicker to fly than drive and Redbird has plenty of ramp space to accommodate seminar attendees.

Registration is required.  Please visit the registration page on FAASafety.gov.  Space is limited to 20 individuals, so please make sure you register if you want to attend.

Cirrus Tow Bar For Sale

ByHank Gibson October 3, 2015

In the market for a tow-bar?  This one is basically brand new and hasn’t been used all that much.  It has the Cirrus connections on it as well.

For more information, contact Texas Top Aviation.