In the business of selling aircraft, manufacturers often massage statistics of safety and performance to put there aircraft in the best light and this is to be expected. Hard cold stats of units sold is hard to massage and twist into a different representation so we thought we’d do a simple analysis of comparable aircraft of particular interest to us in the category of what are considered widely as “First Aircraft”. In other words the planes that folks coming into aviation would consider as suitable as their first aircraft that fit into a narrow band of performance (more than 140kts of speed, 4 seats and not considered High Performance or Retractible).

In the area of single engine 4 place aircraft that are sold in volume new as personal aircraft most would agree there are essentially three main aircraft. The Cessna 182T, the Cirrus SR20 and the Diamond DA40. We exclude the C172 because though it is a tried and true training aircraft, its speed limits it as a highly usable traveling aircraft on the same level as the three named above.

The chart above shows sales data for these three comparable models from 2004 through 2011.

Review of the numbers indicates something that many folks might not have guessed and that is the Diamond DA40 has been the top seller in the category 6 out of 8 years. The Cirrus SR20 for all its marketing hype, parachute and sales feet on the street has never topped the chart or out sold the DA40 and has been in third place in 5 of 8 years. Read the rest of this entry »

Composite materials are the “secret ingredients” that make it possible for manufacturers to make modern aircraft stronger, safer and uniquely efficient and ergonomic in their design.

The way these planes are produced with this “magic material” is fascinating. This video shows how the process works at the Diamond Aircraft factory. Any one considering the purchase of an aircraft will usually come to the logical conclusion that glass is the only way to go once they understand all its unique advantages of safety, durability, economy and usability.

Having now flown the G1000 with SVT system over a hundred hours with the chance to put pilots of all different levels at the controls, I can provide some initial impressions from my experience.

The best example to illustrate the power of SVT is my brother-in-law who has never flown an airplane before. As an experiment I had him fly two precision approaches perfectly his first try with 5 minutes of direction… at NIGHT! Don’t let anyone try to tell you SVT is not a “game changing technology.” It is simply a better mousetrap by many magnitudes. The question is how exactly will it change the game, how will it impact training and will it statistically improve safety?

The name Synthetic Vision is somehow naturally connected with terrain viewing. Though this is true terrain is beautifully depicted in the system, the real value for most of us on most flights is the way the system directs the flight with the Pathways (Garmin’s name for the Highway In The Sky – HITS) boxes along the course. In the case of a new pilot it makes following the course and approach as simple job that can be learned in minutes. The flight marker (the green circle with wings) is the invention that makes flying SVT so amazing. It is completely intuitive and is what allows a non-pilot to figure out how to direct the aircraft to end of the runway down the approach with the needles nailed. you simply put the green marker where the plane is supposed to go that that is where it ends up. No wind correction, needle chasing or glide slope slipping…no fuss, no mess… Read the rest of this entry »

Here is an interview that includes flying the Garmin SVT prepared by Aero News that is worth watching.