40 | SEPTEMBER 2019 FLYINGMAG.COMselecting the A and B channels of the
EECUs to ensure both are online, and
then pushing and holding the engine
run-up buttons. Here’s where the
magic starts as the AE330’s comput-
ers automatically increase power and
perform a number of health checks,
including cycling the props. The
throttles never physically move, and
there aren’t any prop levers (or mix-
ture controls) to move in the first
place. If no fault messages appear
on the G1000 primary f light display
when the test sequence is completed,
you’re ready for departure.
In my case, that meant dialing in
some right-rudder trim, stepping on
the brakes, advancing the power to
20 percent, checking the engine indi-
cations, and then letting her rip. We
departed from KMGJ’s Runway 22
and climbed up to 3,000 feet for some
airwork—followed by emergency
engine-out procedures and a couple
of VMC demonstrations that proved
to me that letting the airspeed drop
below blue line with one engine run-
ning is still ill-advised, even in a twin
that’s as easy to f ly as this one.Results-Focused Training
Just how simple is the DA62 to fly? If
you’ve ever been behind the controlsof a DA40 single, there’s not a whole lot of difference. The
DA62 essentially f lies like a big DA40, which I like because
the bigger airframe soaks up the bumps in turbulence bet-
ter. Two engines also mean faster cruise speeds, and 192
ktas was easily attainable in straight-and-level flight on
this day. During training, I spent most of my time with
props pulled way back, f lying endless traffic patterns
and shooting instrument approaches—it never got old
even for a moment. I can scarcely recall ending a training
session where I felt less mentally tired, a testament to how
pilot-friendly this airplane is.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit the training experience
itself had something to do with the ease with which I pro-
gressed. If I had to make a comparison, I would say my
training with Take Flight was most similar to my experi-
ence during my initial checkout in the SR22 with Cirrus
at the factory in Duluth, Minnesota—of course, this was
upstate New York in June and that was Duluth in January,
so they weren’t completely similar experiences.
I was curious to learn what makes Take Flight Aviation
so different. What exactly led to its selection as the nation’s
top flight school in AOPA’s 2018 Flight Experience Awards?
The accolade is predicated on a school receiving top scores
from its own clients. Did Take Flight slip each student a 20
as it handed them their ballot? No, it turns out Take Flight’s
students really do love this school.
“Our students happily fill out the AOPA survey, and we
get a lot of feedback from it,” says Take Flight co-founder
Ryan Mayo. “We’ve used the feedback from the form
constructively with our instructors to ask, what can we do
better? Our primary focus is always on customer service.”
Not surprisingly, one of the biggest requests from
f light students is the promise to earn their licenses andDA
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Above: With
single power
levers and a
control stick
between the
pilot's legs, the
DA62 is proba-
bly the world's
easiest-to-fly
piston twin.
Above right:
Maneuverability
in the DA62 is
exceptional,
as seen in this
flight I did in
Austria in 2015.
Opposite: The
DA62 is sinewy
smooth from
every angle.