Well, the DA20 is my trainer currently. At first, it took some getting used to: You did not mention the "missing" nose wheel steering; making the Katana harder to taxi than to fly ;). Control inputs on the stick are very light; I think this makes it harder on you at the beginning; also you have to "deal" with the prop leaver (in the A - variants) in all checklists and emergency procedures; Vbg is with flaps 1 for some reason. Further, landings - esp. no-flap landings - are very floaty. I am ~ 1m88, and just barely fit in the plane with rudder pedals hitting the firewall. All that said, this little bird grew on me and instills a feeling of accomplishment once it makes click in your head. I can confirm the Katanas of my flight school are charterd by "seasoned" pilots quite often.
I bought my 20-C1 in 2022, it brings me a lot of fun. The only problem for me is it's too difficult to cold start the engine when the temperature drops below 10°C without pre heat.
Just the financial cost borrowing the money to buy the aircraft, would dampen any benefit of flying one of these. Although finding a low time 150 is getting harder. But the Cessna 150 is fun to fly solo.
The high purchase price, low useful load, tight space, non-adjustable seats, non-IFR rated, VERY difficult cold starting, and if you grind the starter gear (because students are dumb) then the engine has to get torn down due to metal in the oil; ALL really DO NOT make it a “better” trainer IMO than a Cessna 172 that really has none of these issues and just burns a little more fuel….
@@massmike11 yeah they’re great little airplanes for sure. I’m just saying I don’t feel like they’re better as a trainer than a Cessna 172 (due to the aforementioned reasons). This is just my opinion after having trained in and train others in a Cessna 172, DA40, and DA20 is all.
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Well, the DA20 is my trainer currently. At first, it took some getting used to: You did not mention the "missing" nose wheel steering; making the Katana harder to taxi than to fly ;).
Control inputs on the stick are very light; I think this makes it harder on you at the beginning; also you have to "deal" with the prop leaver (in the A - variants) in all checklists and emergency procedures; Vbg is with flaps 1 for some reason. Further, landings - esp. no-flap landings - are very floaty. I am ~ 1m88, and just barely fit in the plane with rudder pedals hitting the firewall.
All that said, this little bird grew on me and instills a feeling of accomplishment once it makes click in your head. I can confirm the Katanas of my flight school are charterd by "seasoned" pilots quite often.
FYI, The diamond factory in London ON 🇨🇦 had a tour last week. Apparently it is an anual thing.
I bought my 20-C1 in 2022, it brings me a lot of fun. The only problem for me is it's too difficult to cold start the engine when the temperature drops below 10°C without pre heat.
The Achilles heel of the da20 is that you can not go IMC in it and now many light sports are better or just as good as a better price
Just the financial cost borrowing the money to buy the aircraft, would dampen any benefit of flying one of these. Although finding a low time 150 is getting harder. But the Cessna 150 is fun to fly solo.
I tried to fly a 20 once but couldn’t close the canopy. Not for tall people.
The high purchase price, low useful load, tight space, non-adjustable seats, non-IFR rated, VERY difficult cold starting, and if you grind the starter gear (because students are dumb) then the engine has to get torn down due to metal in the oil; ALL really DO NOT make it a “better” trainer IMO than a Cessna 172 that really has none of these issues and just burns a little more fuel….
I learned in a 152, I then found a nice one and bought it for myself. No regrets after owning it for over eight years now.
@@massmike11 yeah they’re great little airplanes for sure. I’m just saying I don’t feel like they’re better as a trainer than a Cessna 172 (due to the aforementioned reasons). This is just my opinion after having trained in and train others in a Cessna 172, DA40, and DA20 is all.