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What a wild plane; Diamond DA-42

L

Lionheart

SOH-CM-2014
Man, what a wild design.

Check out those engine nacelles...

I had the chance to see one fly over once. I was at a tour at the Frank Lloyd Wright institute, and I hear this wierd drone sound.. I look up and see waht I thought was a glider with two engine pods on it. It crosses overhead, heading to Scottsdale airport, when it hits me that its the new diesel powered Diamond.

Radical plane...



Bill
 
there is a DA-42 at the auburn airport..last year they did a flyby with it during the airfest'n'car show...sounds funny when it flys over..and i can allways here it coming when im at home too...but it is a cool plane...only draw back..they are for small people..all the diamonds are made for people who are like 5'5"-6" and 150-160 pounds....much bigger and you wont fit...and that comes from several of us trying to get in and out of a DA-20(i think thats what it was called...the small 4 place single from diamond...)

they are using the DA-42 as a "spy" platform now as well..pilot and an operator who sits in the right rear...there is no front seat nor left rear seat and has a couple of pods under the nose and belly..read about it in "air international" magazine...

Bill ya neeed to build one for FS9
 
Joe P said:
Oh Bill! Please say you're going to build one of these for FS9!! :jump:
Click to expand...

Nope. I am trying to cover several other planes. My list is about 2 years long. And besides, ES already has it and thats fine by me. They are an excellent FS design group.
 
I'd love to see an FS9 model!
Massey School of Aviation in NZ has started taking delivery of its new fleet of Diamonds, both single- and twin-engined.
They do look strange at first, but apparently are state-of-the-art aircraft: glass cockpit etc
 
EasyEd said:
Hey All,

Will the Eaglesoft plane ever see the light of day? That is the question.

-Ed-
Click to expand...

Funny you should ask, Ed as I've been nose-down for the past three weeks tidying up a few more interior details, and pruning polys from the exterior model to allow enough space for the final details on that.

Initial release will be for FS9, with the FSX model to follow shortly thereafter. I've just sent the model and basic texture templates to the fit-and-finish hanger this evening. :ernae:

da42fs9newseats000010.jpg

Shot at 2009-07-12

da42fs9newseats000009.jpg

Shot at 2009-07-12

da42fs9newseats000008.jpg

Shot at 2009-07-12

da42fs9newseats000011.jpg

Shot at 2009-07-12

da42fs9newseats000007.jpg

Shot at 2009-07-12
 
Lionheart said:
Goodness!

Some awesome work there Bill! I didnt know it was this close!

I am standing by with my CC.
Click to expand...

The current plans are to offer the DA42 TDi for FS9 and FSX in two versions:

1. Simmer version with XML G1000 system.
2. Prosumer version with Mindstar G1000 system.

I've got to put the finishing touches on the XML G1000 system while the fit-and-finish shop creates and/or details the textures.

The screenshot above shows the Mindstar G1000 system in the VC.

I just noticed that there are some edges that need to be turned on the aluminum plate aft of the cooling vents on both engines. The exterior model's edges have been turned, but obviously I forgot to fix the ones in the interior model! :redface:
 
That looks great! It will only look better in FSX too. :applause:

Any idea of how much more the mindstar version might cost? :monkies:
 
Quick! This is the plane that got me excited about FS again. I had FS 1 or 2 running on Apple ][e looooong time ago.
 
I did a DA-42 for Abacus a while back (4 years!) Nowhere near as nice as Eaglesoft's bird but it'll get you by in the meantime.....
 
I like how the tail and engines hang down low. Looks slightly like some sort of bio design.

I did a DA-42 for Abacus a while back (4 years!) Nowhere near as nice as Eaglesoft's bird but it'll get you by in the meantime.....

Brian Gladden
Click to expand...

I missed that one Brian. arrghh.. Is it at Simviation?




Bill,

I hope you all are able to duplicate this birds awesome drone sound that the diesels make. It is quite different and wild. I'll never forget the sound it made as it flew over me. Not eery, but way different from normal planes. I remember trying to figure out what was making that sound and why it would sound so weird.

Great job on the model. Awesome looking panel.


Bill
 
The Twinstar is indeed amazing, and it's too bad the project has had some serious setbacks in the last couple of years.

Shortly after the aircraft went into production, it was discovered that if the aircraft took off with a dead battery (external power was used to start the engines) and the gear was retracted, the electrical load exceeded what the alternator could produce. When that happened, the ECU's for both engines shut off, thus shutting the engines down at a very inopportune time.

Diamond solved that problem by adding a couple of extra batteries and modifying the operating procedures for the aircraft, but the problems were just starting.

In April of 2008, Thielert (the engine manufacturer) filed bankruptcy, and shortly thereafter announced they weren't honoring existing warranties and were raising prices dramatically.

The price rise was so dramatic that each engine cost over $100/hr to operate, (not including fuel) versus about $12/hr for a conventional Lycoming of similar horsepower. Those figures made the DA42 completely uneconomical to operate, so Diamond stopped production in July 2008.

In early 2009, Diamond was able to secure approval to use engines from another (financially solvent) manufacturer, and deliveries to the US are expected to start again around mid-2010.
 
Brian_Gladden said:
I did a DA-42 for Abacus a while back (4 years!) Nowhere near as nice as Eaglesoft's bird but it'll get you by in the meantime.....
Click to expand...


<TABLE height=16 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="75%" bgColor=silver border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="28%">[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]Diamond Twin Star [/SIZE][/FONT]</TD><TD width="38%">

<CENTER>[SIZE=-1]By Brian Gladden [/SIZE]</CENTER></TD><TD align=right width="34%">[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]from the Premier Collection[/SIZE][/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=5 width=695 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
[SIZE=+1]Diamond Twin Star [/SIZE]​


</TD><TD>

<CENTER>[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]Superior Aircraft from Abacus[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-2]for Microsoft FSX, FS2004 & FS2002[/SIZE][/FONT] </CENTER>
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top>[SIZE=-2]Diamond Aircraft's new DA-42 Twin Star is a 4-place light twin. With two turbo diesel engines and retractable landing gear, the Twin Star can cover 1400 miles at 180 mph.[/SIZE]
​

</TD><TD vAlign=top>[SIZE=-2]Brian Gladden has once again designed this handsome aircraft for FSX, FS2004 and FS2002. Complete with glass instrument panel, you'll enjoy the ease of handling this turbo twin. [/SIZE]
​

</TD></TR><TR><TD>

<CENTER>[SIZE=-2][/SIZE][SIZE=-2] </CENTER>[/SIZE]</TD><TD>

<CENTER>[SIZE=-2][/SIZE][SIZE=-2] </CENTER>[/SIZE]</TD></TR><TR><TD>

<CENTER><TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=5 width=300 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>

<CENTER> </CENTER></TD><TD>

<CENTER>[SIZE=-2]Here's a closer look at the interior of the Wildcat [/SIZE]</CENTER></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER></TD><TD>

<CENTER>[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT] </CENTER></TD></TR><TR><TD>

<CENTER>
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-2]Click to enlarge 2D cockpit view[/SIZE][/FONT]</CENTER>
</TD><TD>
<CENTER>
[SIZE=-2][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Click to enlarge virtual cockpit[/FONT][/SIZE]</CENTER>
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top>[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]Take it for a FREE test flight[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-2]Like all of the other planes in our [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-2]Premier Collection[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-2] you can take the Twin Star out for a test flight. Download and install it and you'll have 7 Days to "fly before you buy".[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-2]We're confident that after you fly it, you'll be soon return here to order a Registration Key to unlock the trial expiration.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-2]NOTE: During installation of any of our "Try Before You Buy" aircraft, we add a small program to your main FSX folder or your FS2004 \modules folder to enable you to use these and future Premier Collection aircraft. If you do not want to add this program to your system, please do not install any of these aircraft.[/SIZE][/FONT]


</TD><TD vAlign=top>[SIZE=-1]Specifications[/SIZE]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-2]Manufactured by: Diamond [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=-2]External Height: 8 ft 6 in[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]External Length: 27 ft 11 in [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]Wingspan: 44 ft [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]Maximum Cruise Speed: 202 kts [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]Maximum Operating Altitude: 18,000 ft [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]Maximum Range: 1,442 nm [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]Empty Weight: 2,400 lbs[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]Max Gross Weight: 3,637 lbs[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]Useful Load: 1,237 lbs[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]Takeoff Distance: 1,542 ft [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]Landing Distance: 1,640 ft [/SIZE]

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
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