Flying USA – September 2019

SEPTEMBER 2019 FLYINGMAG.COM | 37

the process was for me to complete
10  hours of transition training, a
requirement of the insurance com-
pany. I chose to do the training with
Take Flight Aviation, an all-Diamond
flight school at Orange County Airport
in New York that had just been named
the best in the country by AOPA.
As I inquired about my start date
for training, I began to understand
that there was a problem on the air-
craft owner’s end. I was getting an
uneasy feeling about the agreement
that I had thought was a done deal.
For reasons completely out of my
control, the DA62 owner chose not to
place his airplane in the DiamondShare
program after all. Learning of this
unfortunate turn of events, the kind
folks at Diamond Aircraft in London,
Ontario, agreed to make a factory
airplane available to me so I could com-
plete the transition training anyway,
with the understanding that if another
DA62 joins the DiamondShare program
at a local airport, I can immediately
sign on as a member.

DA62 vs. the World
In the meantime, I’ve renewed
my membership at the local f ly-
ing club, which operates four nicely
equipped Cessna 172SPs. I’ll keep
that membership active even if I PH

OT

OS

BY

SH

AR

ON

RA

UB

Above: The

Diamond DA62

is a sleek and

smooth design,

which helps

propel the

economical

twin to nearly

200 ktas.

Top right:

There's room

for seven

inside, with en-

try made easier

by large hinged

doors.

Right: Learning

the ins and outs

of the preflight

inspection at

Take Flight

Aviation.