Diamona DA-20 Katana Review (not for the tall!)

noah wrote:
Summing up my opinion: If you're over 5'8", or have a long torso,
forget about the Katana. I'm 5'11" and it wasn't too good.

I disagree, I am 6'3". Yes, it is tight, but not uncomfortable. Of
course, I weigh 185, so I am not very wide.

Specific gripes:
My back is killing me! - my head was partially tilted to the
center, and this was using a loaned headset (my lightspeed wouldn't
let us close the canopy!

I don't have a problem with my DC's.

The rudder pedals are of poor design - making it difficult to
differentiate between 'rudder' and 'rudder+brake' - without enough
space above the pedals for a normal size 10 shoe to effectively
modulate the brake/rudder seperately.

I will grant you that the area in the "tunnel" is tight, but I fly a
Champ with heel brakes, so I am used to sliding my heels rearward to
drop the balls of my feet onto the rudder.

The stick forces required for 'the maneuvers' were much higher
than I expected at speed (around 100kts). At low speeds this wasn't an
issue.

Again, I fly a Champ, stick forces in the DA-20 are not high nor excessive.

Slips don't help nearly as much as in a C172/152 for losing
altitude (due to small cross section fuse.)

Airspeed control will solve your too-high, in-close problem. Slow down
before you get to the pattern. I haven't tried slips, I will try them
next week. Approach speed is 65, stall is below 40 (flaps, power off).

The big round ball of fire called The Sun. It was blinding just
going anywhere near West - even at our 2:30pm departure from SQL.
There are no sunvisors - so you find yourself leaning back beneath the
painted section of canopy.

This is why you carry slap-on green vinyl glareshields in your flight kit.

Space - my standard kneeboard (student vfr style) barely allowed
for full control movement - and blocked easy access to the throttle
and prop controls. This is *not* an xc machine, and definitely not a
machine for light travel for two... for that I think you'll need
something else.

When not writing on the kneeboard, it can be rotated about your leg
anywhere from 0- to 180-degrees, getting it out of the way.

Good stuff:
The canopy and excellent view. I really liked the low wing
visibility for scanning for traffic. I can't say (haven't flown yet)
about the pipers, but I think having the wing a good few feet below
your eyes allows for a much smaller blindspot - had an easy time
spotting traffic

Constant speed prop - this was the first time I flew a plane with
a CS prop - and it was nice. I think this contributed to the smooth
and quiet experience, although this could also be the transition from
25 year old cessnas to a 5yr old composite plane

More like a "semi-constant speed" prop. Not much range adjustment, but
it works.

My complaint is cold-weather starting. Without pre-heat (be carefull, do
not overheat the cowling), the engine may not start. The Rotax must
reach a minimum RPM to light off. If it doesn't reach the critical RPM,
it will not start.