Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Diamond Aircraft. Model: DA-40. Nickname: Diamond Star
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane SE Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Single Engine (SE) Land
> Engine Description: single piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 11/4/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 117
> Number of Times Flown: 66
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: DA-42 (Twin)

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 142
> Date First Flown: 11/21/2003
> Location First Flown: New Century Aircenter, Olathe, KS (KIXD)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Garmin Flight Test, Tom Carr

Recollections: The Diamond DA-40, designed in Austria (by a company that first built motor gliders) and produced in Austria and Ontario, Canada, is an all composite airplane designed for personal transportation and flight training.

My first flight was on an FAA project.  I few with Test Pilot Tom Carr and and FAA Human Factors engineer Jeff Holland on an initial “early look” at the Garmin G1000 avionics system.  This system, in it’s infancy at the time, came to revolutionize the airplane avionics industry.  I later certified the first G1000, installed in a Cessna 182.  

Most of my hours in the DA-40 come from renting them at Galvin Training, at Seattle’s Boeing Field airport.  Galvin is an excellent Fixed Base Operator (FBO) and flight training facility and I’ve enjoyed both staying current (with the FAA) and flying privately to introduce aviation to scores of young people.

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Cessna. Model: 172. Nickname: Skyhawk
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane SE Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Single Engine Land (and Sea)
> Engine Description: Single piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 11/4/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 205
> Number of Times Flown: 133
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: Many submodels of the C-172

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 7
> Date First Flown: 8/25/1981
> Location First Flown: Corpus Christi, TX
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Not recorded.

Recollections: More C-172’s have been built than any other aircraft.  Over 44,000 of them…and Cessna (Textron) is still building them.

The airplane is simple to operate, fun to fly, forgiving and has a reasonable payload (with care, you can take 2 passengers, maybe 3 if they’re not too heavy and go a reasonable distance).

I also flew the larger-engined T-41 (built for the US Air Force as a screener trainer and still in use by more than 12 militaries world-wide) a bit, in various Navy flying clubs. The extra 50 horsepower really helps.

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Piper Model: PA-32. Nickname: Cherokee 6
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane Single Engine (SE) Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Single Engine Land
> Engine Description: single piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 11/4/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 2
> Number of Times Flown: 1
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: none

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 133
> Date First Flown: 11/6/2002
> Location First Flown: Mid-continent airport, Wichita, KS (KICT)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Garmin, Phil Straub

Recollections: This flight was with Garmin International, the makers of excellent Avionics for MANY uses (boating, hiking, and aviation).  The aviation avionics development group was located in Olathe, KS but they flew this test airplane down to Wichita for this particular flight.  I always enjoyed working with Garmin, including this flight with Phil Straub, who would later go on to become a leader within Garmin.

The project involved a test of a relatively new systems called “Traffic Information Service-Broadcast” (TIS-B)…..a system which used approach radars (located near most major/large airports to detect aircraft flying (including their transponder information) and broadcasting this information out to be used by any airplane with the proper equipment.  If you’re familiar with “TCAS”, this is an alternative.  The system worked well, with a few issues that got ironed out over the years by the very diligent engineers and testers at Garmin.

I always enjoyed working w/Garmin, they were professional, always tried to make their products better (beyond the “minimum level of safety”) and–after I retired from the FAA–I started consulting with their facility in Salem, Oregon. I don’t know the details, but Garmin’s market share from the early 2000’s to present day increased significantly.

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Beechcraft. Model: D17. Nickname: Staggerwing
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane SE Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane single engine land
> Engine Description: single piston (radial)

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 6/25/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 1
> Number of Times Flown: 1
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: n/a

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 144
> Date First Flown: 4/25/2004
> Location First Flown: Enid, OK (KEND)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Bob Lines (private owner)

Recollections:
During my phase living in Wichita, KS and wanting to buy an Airplane to travel the Midwest, I considered the Staggerwing.  Bob Lines was nice enough to take me, and my son Will and daughter Allison for a flight.  We drove down to Enid and flew in Mr. Lines’ gorgeous machine.  What a machine, smooth to fly, fast…really ahead of it’s time in terms of style, comfort and speed.  In the end, I decided I wanted a twin for my family and–despite considering other Staggerwings–never did purchase an airplane (a transfer to Seattle, in the end, ky-boshed the idea).