diamond eclipse da-20
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3
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From: california
diamond eclipse da-20
Have anyone trained in diamond eclipse da-20 for their private or any ratings??
If any one of you have, can you please tell me the difference between training in cessna and eclipse. Also, since eclipse uses a stick instead of a yoke, would it hurt me when I get trained in a plane that uses a yoke for the future ratings?
Any help would be appreciated
Thanks,
If any one of you have, can you please tell me the difference between training in cessna and eclipse. Also, since eclipse uses a stick instead of a yoke, would it hurt me when I get trained in a plane that uses a yoke for the future ratings?
Any help would be appreciated
Thanks,
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 724
Likes: 24
From: UK
Is the DA-20 still called the Katana? Thats what it was called when I did my PPL in it! Anyway Eclipse/Katana they are both DA-20. I did some limited time in cessna 152/150s and a couple of hundred in the DA-20.
In my opinion the Katana is slightly more demanding to fly. I found the cessna a more stable a/c for practising basic handling - the Katana is basically a glider with an engine at the front but the resulting L/D ratio means if you trim it properly when practising your PFLs/Glide Approaches you get plenty of time to pick a field and judge your distance etc. I also remember the Katana being very slippery when practising flapless landings - you really have to keep an eye on your IAS as it doesn't want to slow down! One of the big plusses of the DA-20s I trained in was the electric trim on the stick - it made life easier and it was very instinctive once you got used to it. I havent seen that sort of trim system in a cessna.
Regarding the stick/yoke it doesn't matter a bit, it might take an hour or so to adjust but I found transitioning between the two straightforward. You will find it's the same when you switch from Boeing to Airbus later on!
In my opinion the Katana is slightly more demanding to fly. I found the cessna a more stable a/c for practising basic handling - the Katana is basically a glider with an engine at the front but the resulting L/D ratio means if you trim it properly when practising your PFLs/Glide Approaches you get plenty of time to pick a field and judge your distance etc. I also remember the Katana being very slippery when practising flapless landings - you really have to keep an eye on your IAS as it doesn't want to slow down! One of the big plusses of the DA-20s I trained in was the electric trim on the stick - it made life easier and it was very instinctive once you got used to it. I havent seen that sort of trim system in a cessna.
Regarding the stick/yoke it doesn't matter a bit, it might take an hour or so to adjust but I found transitioning between the two straightforward. You will find it's the same when you switch from Boeing to Airbus later on!
