DA40NG Intro flight

Transition training to the new Jet-A powered DA40NG.

Personal, unofficial highlights:

-Airplane stance is 2″ higher.
-Seating position is higher, better visibility for shorter people.
-No battery + alternator master switch, replaced by key in “on” position.
-Smoother engine
-Straightforward engine start
-Straightforward run-up procedure (push and hold button, and don’t forget about the rest of the run-up check list)
-Longer takeoff roll to reach Vr of 69kts
-Initial climb feels slower (almost level flight) in order to maintain Vy of 88kts
-Once flaps are retracted, things change as it climbs eagerly in the 90kts range.
-Never exceed 100% power for more than 5 min, engine works very hard at max power.
-Turbo lag: On final, it might help to keep engine “spooled” at a slightly higher rpm in case you need to increase thrust.
-Decreased workload overall without mixture or prop levers
-Engine feeds from left tank, right tank works as additional tank, requires transferring fuel to the left every ~30 min (fuel flow is 8 gph). Easier to run fuel transfer switch on and forget about it, plan for it.
-Airspeeds used in the traffic pattern were the same as those of the gasoline-powered DA40: 95-85-75 kts.
-Cabin noise is lower, need to familiarize with the new noises (e.g. fuel pump).