Just passed my Checkride today! 

Beech Bonaza is good but you're talking minimum PPL with high performance complex endorsement and even SIM Check just to satisfy the insurance company.

I would - "renter" insurance is not expensive really considering the money you will be spending on training, etc...

I am flying the DA40 now and that's what I finished my PPL in and working on my IFR now. It's a fantastic airplane compare to all of the one I've flown in the past and I've went through a few different plane to get here.

For the money whether owning or renting...the DA40 is the way to go. Good speed, good payload and burning only 7.5 gal/h at just about 130kts.

I like nice looking airplane...I am some how in the back of my mind believing that a sexy looking airplane fly better! 

The one I am flying now is an older model with regular gauges (electric) and Garmin 530/430 package. I mean even that is pretty fancy for an 180hp 4-seater. I do like the constant speed prop action...that's a nice plus.

Handling wise it's pretty rock solid but you'll feel the bumps thought with the high aspect ratio wing...no worst than a C172 really.

I love the composite construction - no panels held together with lumpy rivets is just awesome. I also definitely like the stick and rudder action although that leave you no room to sit stuffs in your lap...I had to buy the new 9-G kneeboards - they're great.

I also flow other with G1000 and that's even better. That's a whole lot of avionic for just an 180hp plane again some people may say. I think that's just the way of the future.

It's definitely a great first time owner plane after all the research I've done. The new model comes with the power flow exhaust as an option (CS) supposedly even faster.

Ryan

Well this morning I passed the checkride after only 1.3 hour of flight time. I was lucky to have clear sky and calm wind. Everything worked out for me today finally! 

Thank you!

Hi all,

I'm sure my story here won't be the first but I guess it is still kind of special for me so anyway...

After nearly 10 years, 130 flight hours, 6 different type of airplanes and 5 instructors later I finally got my PPL checkride today.

Congratulation you may say...well not quite. No no, I didn't fail! As a matter of fact I did really well...on the oral examination portion that is.

Well after 10 years and on the day of my checkride the wind picked up to 25kts gusting 32kts here in 4SD - yep the home of the Reno Championship Air Race. To make matter worst, during the preflight I found a busted strobe light on the left wing, and a broke grounding wire in the rudder on the DA-40.

We could argue that there are position lights, and in fact there is a secondary grounding wire in completely good working condition, the examiner suggested that we should schedule the practical for another day...in his word "I don't want to scare myself today" 

You know the bugger part is after ten years and it came down to this not to mention I have missed 2 checkrides before because my instrutors at that time quited and joined the airline.

Fair enough really. I mean I don't want to struggle through my flights in this conditions eigher.

Man, I understand sometime you have to pay your due but darn! 

Anyway, what's 4 days to wait after 10 years right? The upside is I rolled right into my IFR training later today and made my first ILS and GPS approaches into Reno and Stead airport and a bunch of IFR maneuvers...so I guess the day was not a complete lost.

You know I have to say that my current instrutor is great...he came out to the airport last night and fill up the tanks so I would have a full plane this morning. It's hard to find a good one that doens't just want to clock hours on your coin...I think I'll stick out with this onr for awhile.

The funny part was my instructor and a bunch of guys I didn't even know were sitting upstair in their hangars with cold beer and transcievers dialed in waiting for me to come back and when they saw me taxing back to the hangar so soon...they all ran out with a horrify look on their faces especially my instructor!

Pilots are quite a special bunch aren't they?!

See you in 4 days.
R