Piper Seminole vs. Diamond Twinstar!

aviatorrbt said:
DA42 Wins with one little problem. The diesel engines have a lot lower life span than the Seminole/piston. Its not because the engine is worse/not as well built. It is because the FAA licensed it that way because the knowledge of continuous use with this engines is not well known yet.
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interesting.... diesels last alot longer in general, mainly due to their extreme compression, the engines are built really well (well at least in cars)
 
taseal said:
interesting.... diesels last alot longer in general, mainly due to their extreme compression, the engines are built really well (well at least in cars)
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According to this AOPA article, it's at 1,000 hours now, projected to go to 2,400. The difference is, once that time comes, you have to replace the whole thing instead of over hauling it. That's about $20k vs. the $13k-$15k to overhaul a comparable lycoming.

That being said, if you're burning 9 GPH with the Twinstar, and 18 GPH with a Seminole, that's 9 GPH more fuel burn X $3/gal X 2,400 hours which equals $65k more in fuel over the life of the engines. So you still come out ahead, and you get two brand new engines vs. just overhauled ones.
 
The Seminole is a much better trainer hands down.

The Twin Star has FADEC and teaches a multi engine pilot nothing about factors that will affect the performance of a twin engine aircraft with an engine inop.

JMHO.
 
jtrain609 said:
No no no, having a critial engine is GOOD!!!

Jeeze, these kids don't want to work for their paycheck anymore! Learn how to fly in something THAT WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO FLY, and NOT in something that will do everything for you.
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Who needs to learn how to fly???? What we need right now is more pilots and fewer aviators! What the CRJ/ERJ doesn't do itself the captain will take care of, right?!?!

Extreme :sarcasm:
 
"If you're getting your CMEL, PMEL or MEI, who cares if it's certified in ice?"

My 57 Apache isn't certified for ice, but it's not uncertified for moderate ice or less, either. It's so old they didn't even mention ice in the POH, though, an AD precludes severe ice. Sounds good to me.

"Twin Star purchase price is now over $700,000, how many Seminoles can you buy for that?"

You could buy 102 Apache's. And burn car gas in them. Don't think you could get the burn back to 9 gph, though, and keep her in the air.
 
kellwolf said:
I'd say Diamond hit it on the head for a TIME BUILDING aircraft, not necessarily a trainer. If you're getting your CMEL, PMEL or MEI, who cares if it's certified in ice? You're gonna be doing that stuff in VMC anyway. Also, I don't think you'll need that service ceiling (unless MAYBE you're in the desert or mountains) doing those manuevers. I'd like to have that stuff if I'm flying cross country, but it's not necessary when training. As an instructor, I'd prefer a non-critical engine in an a/c when I'm training someone that hasn't had any ME experience. After they've got some experience dealing with a non-crit engine, then they can move up. It's all about steps in this industry. They'll still find ways to try to kill you even without a critical engine.

That being said, I've never actually flown the DA-42. I'm just going off of design features as to why I prefer the Seminole as a trainer. As a cross country airplane flying on trips, the DA-42 wins.
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Oh, single engine performance has been first and foremost on my mind several times over the last couple of months. :panic:
 
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