Mary and I purchased a 2001 VW Cabrio for an airport beach car. Mary did not feel up for the 1.5 hour drive in heavy traffic to bring the car home so I had to make other arrangements. I sent a text to Mike B (our caped crusader), yes he is our hero, he stepped up and offered me a ride to Doylestown (KDYL). Now Mike usually flies our Sundowner although he also flies a twin Comanche with Frank and a Diamond DA40.
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| Glass Panel |
Mike and I caught up at the west T's and I followed along as he completed the pre-flight. We were good to go with the TFR and taxied out for launch. The Diamond Star had good acceleration and was wheels up by 60 knots. This was my first flight in a Diamond and I must say the view is awesome. The glass panel is distracting for me but Mike was rolling through screens chuggin and pluggin.
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| KOQN |
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| KLOM |
The aircraft really hustles along. We saw speeds around 135 knots and Mike typically plans for 140. It took a bit to get used to the long wing but the view just in front of the wing was very good. The leading edge was about in line with my hips. The seating was a bit tighter than my Sundowner and the center stick makes it tight but requires your attention.
Mike shot the GPS RWY 5 approach and finished it off with a super smooth landing. A great use of flying saved me a couple hours of driving and made for a fun time in a new to me plane.
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