The stall performance is nothing short of amazing. The plane is even more
forgiving than a 172. The Cirrus on the other hand can roll over pretty
easy, and the stall performance is the subject of many heated discussions.

Bottom line, there are less fatalaties in the Diamonds. There were some
recent discussions on reading too much into statistics, but if you talk to
the Diamond owners or reps, you hear some very reassuring stuff.

My prejudice is that if you are a really serious pilot (you enjoy the
minutiae of every bit of flight planning, engine management, constant
navigational checks while flying, fly IFR all the time, etc...), then you
are likely to be able to judge well your risk in any given plane. You also
likely fly enough to stay really cuurent and on top of things.

On the other hand, if you are more relaxed like the average pilot ( you do a
basic weather check, electronic flight plan if any, lean your engine "close
enough", start enjoying the view or thinking about business, fly IFR only
when necessary, etc.) then you would do best to buy with an eye more towards
safety. You are likely flying under 70 hours a year, and staying in top
shape with your skills is a constant exercise in relearning things you
already knew before.

Just from the posts you read on this group, you would hop in a clipped wing
experimental with some of these guys. On the other hand, I wouldn't buy one
for myself. Different planes for different folks.




"Gil Brice" wrote in message
m...
Why is this?



Lastly, if you are the type whose head is not always 100% in the
cockpit -
buy the Diamond!