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In a single-engine piston Piper Mirage at FL210, I’d wear the immersion suit up to my waist (legs in the immersion suit), ensuring I can get it completely on quickly in case an emergency arose.
Where was the immersion suit dur- ing my DA62 flight from Austria to Florida? I had it out of the suitcase sit- ting in easy reach, but I did not wear it in flight. Basically, I had the same level of concern as I would have in a single-engine turbine. That is an in- credibly confident statement as I have an extreme level of confidence in the single-engine turbine airplanes that are on the market today.
Where would the immersion suit be if I flew an SR22 over the North Atlantic? I’d have the immersion suit on up to my waist, just like it would be in a pres- surized PA46 piston. An SR22 is still a single-engine piston and the para- chute would only provide a controlled touchdown into the icy waters of the North Atlantic. The bottom line is that the DA62, with its two diesel engines, would give me greater comfort than the parachute of the Cirrus SR22 when over totally inhospitable surfaces.
Fair analysis? You decide. But, the immersion suit test doesn’t lie. For those who navigate the roughest parts of the world solo, the location of the survival equipment will give you a clear perspective on the comfort of the pilot. Me? I’d rather have two diesel engines than a parachute. But, I’d also rather have a turbine than any piston engine, and I’d rather have multiple turbine engines over one. For every step up in power, there’s an associated exponential cost increase.
Are you flying over the eastern half of the United States with thousands of airports and generally flat terrain, or are you flying over the Rockies, Baha- mas or Great Lakes routinely? You must look at the safety factors impacting your main mission, then apply mitigat- ing factors to lessen the risk. Extra en- gine or parachute? Both have benefits and detriments.
In my opinion, the biggest advantage of the Cirrus SR22 is manufacturer support. Cirrus has simply made huge inroads into the aviation market by be- ing at the top of the market in terms of support and training in aviation. There
are Cirrus Service Centers all over the U.S. along with great maintenance op- tions over much of the rest of the world, too. If you need a pre-buy inspection, annual inspection or just routine maintenance, it is a relatively simple process to find a competent mainte- nance facility with lots of experience and technical wisdom. If you want f light training, there are hundreds of Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilots (CSIPs) that train as Cirrus trains.
Now, there are certainly reputable Diamond Aircraft Service Centers and good CFIs who serve the Diamond market, but there are fewer. There are fewer because there are simply fewer Diamond aircraft flying. As Diamond grows its fleet, availability to more service and more training will increase too. I think Diamond will increase its footprint by delivering more and more airplanes. So future ongoing support should be expected.
Also, if you fly outside of the United States, you might want to seriously consider the DA62 simply
because of jet fuel availability. 100LL can be hard to find in some parts of the world while jet fuel is usually readily available and relatively cheap com- paratively. Or if you live in the U.S., you might still want the DA62 since jet fuel is less expensive to purchase.
So, if your spouse is dragging heels to purchase an aircraft, I hope I’ve provided some realistic perspective that will help reduce the drag. Both the SR22 and the DA62 are fabulous airplanes that I’d trust to fly my loved ones and coworkers without a sec- ond thought. In fact, I do exactly that every week.
Joe Casey is an FAA-DPE and an ATP, CFI, CFII (A/H), MEI, CFIG, CFIH, as well as a retired U.S. Army UH60 standardization instruc-tor/examiner. An active instructor in the PA46 and King Air markets, he has accumulated 14,300-plus hours of flight time, with more than 5,200 dual-given as a flight instructor. Contact Joe at joe@flycasey. com or 903.721.9549.
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July 2020 / TWIN & TURBINE • 19