I was looking around for a Diamond DA-20... the local club has one and as the cost is the same as a 172 for training, I thought I might switch over in the fall...Anyway, the Aerosoft DA-20 looks fine, but all the reviews are not only in other languages, but also most links from their site are broken.Anyone have any suggestions / advice?thxAndrew

The Aerosoft DA is a great plane. Great performance.Dave________________________________________AMD Athlon 64 4000+ San Diego @ 2.6MhzNForce4-A939 mobo 1G FSB2x1G Cosair XMS Ram on dual channelsSapphire Radeon X1900XT Video Card @ XTX23" Apple Cinema Display @ 1920X1200Soundblaster Live24Saitek Cyborg EVO TrackIR4

Check thishttp://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds?$=main/review/katana.htmBarryand thishttp://www.fsnordic.net/article/article_view.php?ID=5 and this http://news.pcaviator.com/downloads/katana1.pdf

superb little plane, only a 2 seater but hey, your passenger is animated, and not bad looking for a pixel ;)Seriously though it is a nice plane, tricky on landing and absolutely NO autopilot. But then again, it's not built for that kind of flying either.

Thanks all!No autopilot, hm?Well, I guess that's where trimming comes in handy ;)cheersAndrew

Aerosoft has modeled the Rotax powered version instead of the more common C1 version (in North America at least), so if you're flying a C1 powered by the Continental engine, you'll not find the same cruise speed, fuel burns, carb heat etc... a different aircraft really.I haven't purchased it from Aerosoft just for that reason, and I'd also be happy to find a good payware DA20-C1.--M(BTW, flying the Katana is so much more fun than the 172. Check the view, no side post ! :) )http://www.machdiamonds.com/katanaeyw.jpg

Aha!Yes, in fact, the club's craft is a C1. Dang.This aircraft seems reasonably popular, though I read that the sheer abundance of reliable Cessnas means the training market for the DA-20 is limited in the US.I may stick with the 172 for training - not sure... one of the factors is cruise speed (average) with a single passenger (or instructor) with a combined weight of, say, 380 lbs. Any idea?An ideal x-country for me right now is from Southern New Jersey to the Finger Lakes area, specifically Penn Yan or really whatever public asphalt field is available closer to Watkins Glen with rental cars.Another is Southern New Jersey for exploring around the Water Gap area - it's really beautiful up there.Also is the idea of traveling somewhere else in the country (New Mexico is a fantasy for the future...) and renting; I imagine a 172 is much easier to find. Plus, I guess, being able to take the kids up with us would be nice. They're still small but will probably add up to 150 lbs by the time I'm ready... this would rule out the DA-20 right away.Hmmm.....

Well... ok, so it's been four years.... ah...Anyway, been searching around for an FSX-compatible DA-20 w/ a 125HP engine... I really have almost given up.Does anyone know of one, or at least of an .air file tweak to accomplish this? I'd probably go for the Aerosoft version if the modification is easy.thanks,Andrew

WOW, I just noticed that you replied to your own post from 4 years ago, lol.I guess the Aerosoft version is still the only thing?I saw one of those at an airshow and would much rather used it during my flight traning that the C152's I had access to. I have never been much of a fan of high wing a/c even though I do like the visibility below a lot more.

http://www.flightsim.com/main/review/wssdiam.htm

lol... yeah! Four years, but apparently persistence paid off here... Thanks conundrum - not sure why in all my searching I never found that one. Maybe not perfect but if the flight model is good that will work out well. :( CheersAndrew