Diamond DA-40

Chuck,

Yes. Wonderful airplane. It's not a "Lexus of the air", the glider
heritage shows. But it's still great. Visibility is unbeatable. Access
to the cabin (both back and front) is marvelous - if it is not raining.
If it is, you're in a real hurry because of the open canopy.

When there's just two aboard, folding down the backseats gives an
absolutely cavernous baggage area with that huge folding door in the
back. Loading mountain bikes or similarly bulky stuff would be a snap.
It flies and handles very well.

The seats are not adjustable, only the pedals are. The KAP autopilot is
not something I really like, I prefer the S-TEC.

You might want to read Aviation Consumer on the plane and their
comparison to the SR20, which is basically similar in pricing, if you
equip both the same. Bottom line that I took away: The DA40 is more fun
to fly, the SR20 is the more serious travel machine.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)