“A parachute gives some sense of safety, but if the engine fails and you are over the ocean with no reasonable landing options at a gliding distance, you will inevitably have to swim,” noted Mario Pereira, MD, when recounting why he chose to purchase his 2018 Diamond DA62 over competing single engine options.
Dr. Mario Pereira (or “Doc” as his flying buddies call him) is originally from El Salvador and has lived in the United States for most of his life. He practices medicine in South Florida, operating three offices and rendering service at eight different hospitals across the state.
From his home base of Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (KFXE), Dr. Pereira flies around 250 hours per year, with roughly 90 percent for business and the remaining 10 percent for pleasure. Destinations include the Florida Panhandle, Central Florida, the Bahamas, Mexico and El Salvador. Consequently, the board-certified internal medicine specialist is no stranger to overflying long stretches of ocean. During these flights, he often spends at least an hour over the water without a landing field in sight or gliding distance.
One of Dr. Pereira’s most notable routine water crossings is the trek from Southern Florida to Ilopango International Airport (MSSS) in San Salvador, El Salvador. Upon departing Fort Lauderdale, he will usually fly nonstop, occasionally stopping at Key West International Airport (KEYW) to top off fuel mid-route. From The Keys, the roughly 885-nautical mile journey takes a little over four hours and approximately 70 gallons of JET-A from the aircraft’s 86-gallon capacity.
Over the course of a decade or so, he has flown several routes between Florida and El Salvador to visit family and check on investment properties. Previously, when he flew a Cirrus SR22T, he would fly slightly longer distances in an attempt to stay at a reasonable glide distance from Cuba and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula en route to Central America. This would allow him additional minutes over land and help to mitigate engine-out concerns. Now flying with two engines, the routing options are more flexible.
Dr. Pereira’s most frequently selected flight plan cuts a path between Key West and Cancun, Mexico, hugging the northwest corner of Cuba’s outermost airspace (near Havana), then onwards to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. From there, he works further south into Honduran airspace and ultimately on to the capital of El Salvador. All said, the entire journey, which begins near the Atlantic Ocean and ends miles from the Pacific Ocean, takes the better half of a day.
Engine redundancy was just one of the main reasons why Dr. Pereira purchased the seven-seater DA62. Other options he initially considered were a new Cirrus SR22T or a Beechcraft A36 Bonanza.
Of course, any aircraft acquisition should be treated as an investment. At the time, he had more than 600 hours of experience with Cirrus products, including renting a shared 2014 SR22 G5 and owning a 2010 SR22T. While the manufacturer offers a “tremendous package and value,” he felt purchasing a brand-new Cirrus was too costly for a single-engine piston aircraft, and an investment of $1 million would go further elsewhere.
After additional deliberation, he determined a multi-engine aircraft would be best, as it was a happy medium between single-engine piston and turboprop or turbine choices. He compared several different twins during his search. Aircraft among the possibilities were a Beechcraft Baron G58 (“high operating costs”), a Beechcraft Baron B55 (“high operating cost and dated technology”) and a Cessna C310 (“labor-intensive, expensive to run, older avionics”). Upon further examination, he decided a newer, more economical option would be a Diamond DA62.
One of the most distinctive attributes of the aircraft is its impressive fuel efficiency. It has roughly a 13 gallon per hour consumption rate (total) when cruising 160 to 175 knots (at 65 percent) depending on the Flight Level. The aircraft has a published 1,283 nautical mile range. Other noteworthy characteristics are its 1,565-pound useful load, max takeoff weight of 5,071 pounds and 20,000-foot certified service ceiling. Dr. Pereira also had previous experience with the brand flying a Diamond DA40 with G1000 during his instrument training. An additional reason he gravitated toward the twin was the potential to transition to other aircraft (i.e., light jets) in the future.
Once he determined the DA62 was his personal best bet, he found a one-year-old aircraft with less than 100 hours. He purchased the 2018 model from a Part 135 operator in Florida who was moving up to a light jet. The acquired Diamond came in at $1.1 million with an estimated hourly operation cost of approximately $285. After flying the aircraft for 350 hours, Dr. Pereira affirms he has found all performance numbers to be accurate “to the decimal,” with the cost of operation the lowest of any twin he has flown.
Regarding flying this aircraft and aviation in general, Dr. Pereira stated he has always “thrived on hobbies that require a structured learning process, organized environment, and develops a distinctive skill.” Becoming a pilot and continually working to become more proficient has been a natural process for him. Currently, he has around 1,400 hours of total flight time.
That number would likely be higher had his father supported his early desire to become a pilot (or aeronautical engineer) as a career. Interested in aviation from a very young age, he instead was told to “get a real profession that will pay for your hobbies.” Consequently, he entered medical school at age 17 in El Salvador and graduated eight years later. After moving to the United States in 2001, he continued his education, validated his credentials, and passed the United States Medical Licensure board exams. He then entered Residency in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 2005, where he became Chief Resident three years later. Since then, he has put his medical training to use in the Sunshine State and routinely combines it with his passion for aviation.
Dr. Pereira’s business flights take him all across Florida to treat patients. For the past 12 years, he has primarily practiced in the southern portion of the state in Broward County (Plantation, Coral Springs, and greater Fort Lauderdale area). In addition, he practices in the Lake Okeechobee area, Osceola County (Kissimmee, Orlando, and Ocala), and up into the Panhandle area in Bay County (Panama City, Fort Walton, etc.).
To serve populations within critical access areas, he relies upon his aircraft to reach areas of the state that would be much more time-consuming to travel to by car or airline. When flying to this region, Dr. Pereira will typically land at general aviation airports located within 20 minutes from his place of practice. On average, this saves him half to full day of travel.
Depending on where he is flying and for what purpose, he typically travels alone or with two to three passengers. That said, the aircraft has flown with up to six grown adults with “no issues.” Carried baggage is often minimal. If a need to haul more was a factor, then other options would have been explored. “It’s definitely not a cargo mule. Even though it has the space and payload, loading heavy objects is not as easy as you may think. The DA62 is more of a people mover, although there is a five-seat option that has additional cargo space.”
Dr. Pereira advised aviators not to discount the manufacturer when considering their next (or first) aircraft purchase. “After I chose to seriously consider this aircraft, lots of people tried talking me out of it. Recently, the prevailing thought seems to be that light twins are obsolete and dangerous. But I have found that the DA62 has amazing critical engine performance, and flying it with a lone engine is docile and maneuverable. For example, with one engine the aircraft can still climb 300 to 400 feet per minute with two or three people aboard and full main fuel tanks.”
And as Dr. Pereira ultimately sums it up: “It’s all about the mission, the price, and the pilot. When choosing an aircraft, there is no one-size-fits-all model. A well-studied purchase can be extremely rewarding if determined based upon those three factors.”
I never knew that he uses his aircraft to reach sections of the state that would take significantly longer to go to by vehicle or plane to assist communities in key access zones. I never thought that it would be like this, I’ll share this with my aunt. Thank you for the information about DA62 rental.