DR400 MMMmmm
I bought my DR400 Regent new in Jan 01 and plan to sell it in 06 for a new one.
I have flown my aircraft for 360 trouble-free hours and it still looks like brand new.
I operate from a farm strip - at MAUW of 1100kg the (unfactored) take off is 320 metres.
Empty is 635kg. The Regent is therefore genuine 4 seater with a 60kg baggage limit in the locker.
Shimmy? Never? They have either sorted this or there is a fault.
Nose wheel steering? Easy to understand and learn to accomodate. Yes it does sometimes fail to engage, usually as a consequence of an aft CofG and a greaser of a landing or loading heavy bags, rear seat passengers and full fuel. In the latter case, the nose can rise beyond the steering mech.
Rather than stamp on the pedals and probably contribute to a shimmy problem in later years, all you need do is gently dab the brakes, the nose will drop and the steering engage. Voila!
If parked, you can pull the nose down by the prop blades or lift the rear fuz..
Parts? Never needed any apart from when the cowling cracked (mine had the new swoopy profile and they have since beefed them up internally to prevent cracks) and guess what?
Within 3 days I had a box with a pot of paint and some new fasteners in it on my doorstep direct from the factory?
Cost?
A big fat zero. Not even the carriage.
Wings falling off? Careful there. In 10 million flying hours (I think I have that right?) not one accident has been postively attributed to defective manufacture.
The in-flight breakup in France - debated extensively here several months back - was indeed due to a broken spar.
The accident aircraft was one of a short production period where better inspection procedures these days would not allow the 'untidy' spar bonding discovered in the accident to happen again.
However, tests conducted proved that even bonded as it was, the spar would still have exceeded its design loading by a significant degree.
Regent speeds similar to the smaller ones? Nah!
The Regent will fly at 135kts - I tend to fly at around 125 for better range (240 litres capacity/ 40 litres ph)
The smaller ones will cruise around 95-100kts - I used to instruct on them.
Hangarage - I have seen inside the wing of a very high time aircraft - rarely hangared. It was beautiful but with a little bit of rot in the wing-tip fillet where an untreated crack had allowed water ingress - it couldn't dry and a bit of rot was the consequence. However, unlike wooden planes where the airframe spares grown in the ground, corrosion in your spammer can write the thing off or cost you big bucks.
Look inside a 30 year old spammer and then do the same with a Robin.
OK - they are best hangared but it is always best to keep your aircraft under cover anyway.
Mine is not only hangared but is always washed after every flight and then completely cloaked in Cambrais finest.
I dont know what it is but there is such a feelgood factor in the Robin cockpit. The transparencies are fantastic, plenty of legroom and none of this high panel/ letter box screen with the Robin - I agree that you seem to sit on it rather than in it.
A wonderful aircraft. I cannot imagine owning any other tourer.
I dont fancy the corpulent 500 - a compromise indeed just to achieve a cockpit width increase of 4 inches. You dont need it.
There is a lot to be said for buying new.
They keep their values well and sell easily. Finance companies love them.
If you want to discuss the aircraft with a satisfied owner and not a salesman - PM me and I'll call you.
A flight in mine (I am near Banbury) is a possibility too.
All the best
HP