The process is started ! After almost 5 months with no flying, I contacted a local FTO. I don’t want to say any name for the time beign as I have no idea how good the guys are. If everything goes fine, my plan is to train for an MEP rating on a DA42. I’ll also combine the check-ride with an IFR checkride, so after that I’ll have a renewed IFR for both SEP and MEP, and a brand new MEP. I flew enough last summer (click here and here to read about that) to renew my SEP on base of experience. I think that my DA40 and G1000 experience will make the things easier with the DA42 systems training and that my experience with high-performance single engine aircraft will help me to cope with the extra speed. The DA42 is not the fastest light twin around. The Diamond marketing material mentions 164 kts IAS, which is only 10 to 15 knots more than a Bonanza or Saratoga. It’ll be interesting to see if my IFR skills are still up to the speed…

But before opening my wallet widely, I’ll start with a brief assessment in the simulator, and even before by a tour of the school and its environment. One important point is to find out if they can provide me with an English-speaking instructor and training material in English. My German is sufficient for my job and daily life but this is mostly because my colleagues are extremely tolerant towards my very personal grammar and vocabulary. Training in German, particularly passing a written exam, seems out of reach. Flying with German check-lists could also become problematic, but as all documents are available in English on the Diamond website, I don’t worry too much about that. It will also be interesting to see if I can find an English-speaking examiner. I also learned that finding an examiner for a PPL exam is not so easy in Germany and appointments have to be booked weeks in advance, if not months in advance. I hope that for and ME / IRE things will be easier. My deadline is by the 8th of May, which is the expiry date of my IFR rating.

Having been a trainee in two FTOs, member in two clubs and visiting pilot in another one gave me some experience in evaluating them. The website alone can give some ideas. I had not a lot of time to get in touch, so I decided to make it per e-mail. This also helped to check the English-readiness of the organization. Making the first contact per e-mail is by itself a good test to see how well organized the school is. There was no “contact form” on the website but a simple link to an info@_________________.de address. I always beware of such generic addresse. They are very subject to spam or messages sent can end-up in a mailbox that no one will ever check. I sent my e-mail on last Friday, well after the end of standard working hours. If I don’t get an answer before the end of this week, I’ll try to call them or directly pop out there to see how reactive they are.

Even if this new start is only temporary because of budget restrictions, I’m all excited about being that close to train for something new and to get airborne again. Stay tuned, I’ll soon have more to tell about this new training… hopefully.