01
Very light forces — two fingers
There is very little pressure required to fly the type: two fingers on the stick is all it takes, or a light grip between thumb and forefinger, Chipmunk-style.
Aircraft library
Diamond DA40 NG
Photo: ZLEA, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Diamond DA40 NG
Two-finger light with glider genes: superb push-rod harmony, pitch stability dialled exactly right, and the loudest pre-stall buffet of the trainers.
General aviationDA40Cable/pushrod controlsStarter v2 · 2026-07-24
Know the plane
- Powerplant
- Austro AE 300 turbodiesel, 168 hp
- Seats
- 4
- Max takeoff weight
- 2,888 lb (1,310 kg)
- Wingspan
- 38 ft 2 in (11.63 m)
- Length
- 26 ft 5 in (8.06 m)
- Never exceed (Vne)
- 178 KIAS
- Maneuvering (Va)
- 108 KIAS at MTOW
- Stall, landing config (Vs0)
- ≈49 KCAS
- Max cruise
- ≈154 KTAS
- Service ceiling
- 16,400 ft
- Range
- ≈940 nm at economy cruise
- Usable fuel
- ≈39 US gal Jet A
Sources: Diamond DA40 NG AFM; EASA TCDS A.022; Diamond published data.
The DA40 NG is the modern European counterpoint to the 172: a composite airframe with a slender 38-foot wing, a jet-fuel-burning Austro turbodiesel managed by a single power lever, and a G1000 up front. Flight schools buy it for the same reasons simmers like it: efficient, docile, and genuinely modern.
The long wing defines the feel. Roll is deliberate rather than snappy, pitch is light and well damped, and the glider heritage shows in how cleanly it rides lift. The profile leans into that: smooth, composed, and slightly softer-edged than the metal trainers.
A little history
Diamond Aircraft grew out of the Austrian motor-glider maker Hoffmann Flugzeugbau, and every Diamond wing since carries that DNA. The original DA40 Diamond Star flew in 1997 with an avgas Lycoming; the NG arrived in 2010 around the Austro AE 300, itself derived from a Mercedes diesel automotive block.
The NG made the DA40 a true world trainer, able to run on Jet A anywhere avgas is scarce, and its safety record is among the best in general aviation. The version modeled here is the current G1000 NG as European and Asian academies operate it.
What the real one feels like
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02
Superb harmony from the glider heritage
The controls are light — but not overly so — effective and nicely coordinated; one of those aeroplanes you almost think into position. The direct push-rod linkage is repeatedly credited for the harmony.
03
Pitch stability dialled exactly right
Diamond got the pitch stability and elevator weighting right for the pilot to hold speed and attitude without thinking about it — hands-off stable enough for formation work.
04
The stall buffet is pronounced — a type trait
The XLS "shook and protested" at the stall yet banked around without issue, and deep in it the airplane simply mushes; the NG's stall is utterly benign. Loud buffet, benign break — the strongest pre-stall cue of the GA trainers.
05
Motorglider float in the flare
Flown into the flare faster than about 65 knots, the Star will float — reviewers have floated the length of the runway.
06
Real stick feedback is part of the type's identity
Owners call it a pilot's airplane precisely for the feel of the stick and the push-rod-controlled surfaces — actual feedback rather than spring loading.
Published speeds
| Gate | Knots | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| VsoStall, landing configuration | 60 | Diamond DA40 NG AFM 6.01.15-E Rev 4 |
| VrRotation | 67 | At maximum mass · Diamond DA40 NG AFM 6.01.15-E Rev 4 |
| VyBest rate of climb | 72 | Diamond DA40 NG AFM 6.01.15-E Rev 4 |
| VappApproach | 78 | ≈1.3 × VsoRepresentative |
| VfeMaximum flaps extended | 98 | Landing flap; 110 KIAS takeoff flap · Diamond DA40 NG AFM 6.01.15-E Rev 4 |
| VnoMaximum structural cruise | 130 | Diamond DA40 NG AFM 6.01.15-E Rev 4 |
| VneNever exceed | 172 | Diamond DA40 NG AFM 6.01.15-E Rev 4 |
How the profile models it
Starter JSON · v2The complete starter profile, in the same order and with the same names as the desktop Tuning page. Highlighted rows cite evidence. Hover a row to see its profile-JSON path.
Master gain & control system
Master gain
85%
The final overall output scale applied to everything the model produces, before the device cap.
▲ More: everything (spring, loads, effects) gets stronger together. ▼ Less: everything softens together.
Why here: Class default: 85% with headroom.
Forces
Spring strength
80%
The base centring force that pulls the stick back to centre. Every other force stacks on it. Too low and the stick feels limp in normal flight; too high and it fights your hand and masks the smaller cues layered above it.
▲ More: firmer centring that resists your hand at all times. ▼ Less: a limper stick that leans on aerodynamic load alone.
Why here: 80%: a definite centre, slightly softer than the 172's cable yoke, matching the DA40's smooth stick.
Spring deadband
4%
A small neutral zone around centre where the spring stays quiet, so tiny movements at rest don't chatter. Wider is calmer but looser; narrower is more precise but can twitch around centre.
▲ More: a calmer but looser centre with more free play. ▼ Less: a tighter centre that may chatter at rest.
Why here: 4%: a small neutral zone. The composite control runs have little slack.
Low-speed spring floor
50%
How much of the spring survives at a standstill, before airspeed can build any aerodynamic force. A high floor keeps the parked stick firm; a low floor gives the loose, cable-slack feel of a parked light aircraft.
▲ More: a firmer stick while parked and taxiing. ▼ Less: a floppier parked stick that only wakes up with airspeed.
Why here: Half the spring survives at rest; the controls firm through the takeoff roll and are solid by rotation.
QBlend enabled on · QSpring start knots 15 · QSpring full knots 67
Elevator load
100%
The sustained pitch load from elevator deflection and airspeed, balanced independently of roll. This is the main lever behind a type's pitch weight. It does not touch aileron, spring, trim, or buffet forces.
▲ More: heavier sustained pitch forces at speed. ▼ Less: a lighter elevator that takes less muscle to hold.
Why here: Pitch is the reference axis at 100%.
Aileron load
85%
The sustained roll load from aileron deflection and airspeed, balanced independently of pitch. Together with the elevator load it sets the control-harmony ratio reviewers talk about.
▲ More: heavier roll forces. ▼ Less: lighter, quicker-feeling ailerons.
Well-harmonized and light in both axes — far closer to balanced than the C172.
Overall aerodynamic load
70%
A master scale over both sustained axis loads, applied before their independent balance. Profiles normally leave this alone and tune the two axis loads instead.
▲ More: both axes load up harder. ▼ Less: both axes lighten together.
The DA40 must sit clearly lighter than the C172; the old value had the two-finger stick and the deliberately heavy yoke nearly identical.
because:Very light forces — two fingers
Cruise reference (kt)
125
The indicated airspeed where aerodynamic load reaches its designed full level. It anchors the whole load curve to the aircraft's real speed range: a 172 loads up by 110 knots, a jet much later.
▲ More: loads arrive later; the stick stays light up to a higher speed. ▼ Less: loads arrive earlier and cruise feels heavier.
Why here: 125 kt: the NG's real-world cruise. Loads peak where the aircraft lives.
Airspeed curve
2.0
How sharply stick load builds with airspeed. 1.0 is linear; about 2.0 matches real aerodynamics, where dynamic pressure grows with the square of speed, so controls are much lighter slow and firm up fast. Felt when holding the stick off centre, not at rest.
▲ More: lighter at low speed with a steeper rise toward cruise. ▼ Less: a more linear build that loads up earlier.
Direct push-rod linkage feels the raw hinge moment; the 125 kt reference magnitude is unchanged.
Centre firmness vs speed
15%
How much the centring itself stiffens with speed, on top of the deflection loads. Zero keeps centre feel constant; more makes the stick centre harder at cruise and looser in the pattern.
▲ More: a centre that hardens noticeably as you go faster. ▼ Less: constant centre feel at every speed.
The stick keeps firming above rotation up to just below Vno (≈1.37× at the reference).
Spring airspeed stiffen cap 5
Max output force
55%
A cap on each steady pitch or roll force before it reaches the device, guarding against slamming or saturating the hardware in strong maneuvers.
▲ More: stronger peak steady forces before clipping. ▼ Less: a gentler ceiling; hard maneuvers flatten out sooner.
Why here: 55%: trainer-safe ceiling with buffet headroom above it.
Hydraulic load factor
60%
For hydraulically-boosted or fly-by-wire types: how much of the raw aerodynamic load actually reaches the pilot's hand. 1.0 is a fully manual control run; lower values model the artificial-feel systems that isolate the pilot from true surface loads.
▲ More: more raw aerodynamic load reaching your hand. ▼ Less: more isolation, closer to pure artificial feel.
Why here: Inert for a manual control run.
Trim
Elevator strength
30%
How strongly elevator trim relieves held pitch force and shifts where the stick settles. At 100%, a properly trimmed aircraft needs no held pressure, the trim-away-the-load workflow of real flying.
▲ More: trim removes more of the held pitch force; at 100% full trim zeroes it. ▼ Less: you keep holding force even when trimmed.
Why here: Standard 30%: the electric trim eases loads but the pilot still flies pressure changes.
Trim feel enabled on · Elevator authority 0.7 · Trim relief enabled on
Stick feel
G-load gain
14%
Extra spring stiffness as positive G rises above 1G: the pull-up loads your arm as well as the wing. Too little and steep turns feel weightless; too much and maneuvering becomes tiring.
▲ More: pull-ups and steep turns stiffen the stick more per g. ▼ Less: g has less effect; maneuvering stays light.
Light and stable — below the C172's cited >20 lb/g curve.
GLoad enabled on · Min factor 0.22 · Max factor 1.25
Deadband low-speed widening
7%
Extra centre deadband added at parked and taxi speeds, narrowing away as airflow builds. It keeps the stick calm on the ramp without costing precision in flight.
▲ More: a calmer, looser stick on the ground. ▼ Less: ground handling as precise as flight, and as twitchy.
Why here: Calms the stick on the ramp; gone by the time the controls matter.
Dynamic deadband enabled on · Full speed ref knots 67
Control-edge trigger
85%
How far through the travel the edge-of-throw spring boost begins. High values leave most of the range linear and put a firm wall only near full deflection.
▲ More: the end-of-travel wall starts later, leaving more linear throw. ▼ Less: the wall begins earlier in the travel.
Why here: The wall starts at 85% travel, past anything normal training flight uses.
Control edge enabled on
Control-edge gain
20%
How strong that edge-of-travel boost is once triggered: a soft warning versus a hard stop near full throw.
▲ More: a harder stop near full deflection. ▼ Less: a softer edge you can push through.
Why here: A modest bounded edge.
Effect gains · Ground
Runway rumble
38%
Rolling surface vibration from wheel speed and surface type: pavement, grass, or gravel under the gear.
▲ More: louder surface texture through the stick. ▼ Less: a smoother taxi.
Why here: 38%: composite airframes transmit a slightly glassier, quieter roll than metal; a touch under the 172.
Enabled on · Min speed kt 2 · Full speed kt 55 · Surface scaling enabled on · Undercarriage 0
Gear bumps
25%
Short discrete bumps from expansion joints, ruts, and rough surface, punctuating the continuous rumble.
▲ More: sharper hits from joints and ruts. ▼ Less: softer ground detail.
Why here: Moderate joint and rut detail.
Start speed kt 10 · Full speed kt 55
Brake shudder
35%
Vibration under brake pressure while rolling. Invisible braking feels wrong; too much makes every stop feel like an anti-skid event.
▲ More: more shudder under braking. ▼ Less: quieter stops.
Why here: 35%: clear braking cue.
Min speed kt 3 · Full speed kt 30 · Brake deadband 0.05
Nosewheel shimmy
28%
The rapid side-to-side wobble through the roll axis at taxi-rotation speeds, the classic worn-nosegear shimmy this type is or isn't known for.
▲ More: a livelier shimmy on the rollout. ▼ Less: a calmer nosewheel.
Why here: 28%: the castoring nosewheel DA40 is known for occasional shimmy at speed; present but below the 172's rental-fleet reputation.
Min speed kt 15 · Full speed kt 50
Ground accel
16%
The fore-aft pull on the pitch axis from acceleration on the ground. The takeoff surge draws the column aft; braking pushes it forward.
▲ More: a stronger fore-aft pull under acceleration and braking. ▼ Less: a subtler surge cue.
Why here: Light surge for 168 diesel horsepower.
Deadband g 0.03
Effect gains · Airframe
Stall buffet
50%
Airframe shake approaching the stall and while the stall warning is active: how loudly this wing announces it is unhappy. Types with a crisp break get modest buffet and let the horn carry the warning.
▲ More: a louder pre-stall shake. ▼ Less: a quieter wing; the horn carries the warning.
The "shook and protested" buffet is the documented low-speed personality — strongest of the GA trainers.
Enabled on
Overspeed buffet
45%
Airframe shake past the overspeed warning, the airframe's own protest at exceeding Vne/VMO.
▲ More: a harsher protest past the redline. ▼ Less: a gentler overspeed warning.
Why here: Standard protest past the redline.
Flap buffet
28%
Low-frequency airframe vibration with flaps extended into the airflow, in the speed window where they actually work the air.
▲ More: a rougher ride with flaps working the air. ▼ Less: smoother approach flap.
Why here: Electric slotted flaps make modest buffet in the white arc.
Max flap index 2 · Min flap index 1 · Min speed kt 60 · Full speed kt 98
Effect gains · Engine, mechanical & drag
Turbulence
42%
Random shake from short-term G variation in rough air, so bumpy air is felt and not just seen.
▲ More: rough air hits the stick harder. ▼ Less: calmer chop.
Why here: 42%: light wing loading on a long wing. It rides bumps visibly but more smoothly than the Cessna.
Min stddev 0.02 · Full stddev 0.25 · Ambient gain 0.7 · Turbulence window samples 20
Engine rumble
16%
Continuous powerplant vibration following RPM between idle and full power, the ever-present reminder that something is burning fuel up front.
▲ More: more engine through the stick. ▼ Less: a quieter powerplant.
Why here: 16%: the geared, liquid-cooled diesel is notably smoother than an air-cooled avgas four. The low value is the point.
Enabled on · Idle rpm pct 0.31 · Full rpm pct 1
Touchdown thump
65%
The one-shot kick when the wheels meet the runway, scaled by sink rate: a greaser whispers, a firm arrival thumps.
▲ More: a harder kick at touchdown. ▼ Less: softer arrivals.
Why here: 65%: trainer arrivals get graded.
Reference sink fps 6 · Min sink fps 1
Flap movement
12%
Continuous vibration only while the sim reports the flap surfaces actually travelling. It follows real actuator motion and failures, not an estimated timer.
▲ More: more vibration while the flap surfaces travel. ▼ Less: quieter flap runs.
Why here: The electric flap drive is faintly felt while running.
Minimum position delta 0.001 · Packet hold seconds 0.12 · Arrival settle seconds 0.25
Flap arrival
14%
The small airframe settle when flap-surface travel completes, driven by the surface arriving, not the handle command.
▲ More: a firmer settle as flaps reach the notch. ▼ Less: a softer arrival.
Why here: A small settle per stage.
Flap step
28%
The short mechanical click on each flap-handle detent. The handle, not the surfaces.
▲ More: a sharper detent click. ▼ Less: a fainter click.
Why here: 28%: the flap switch is lighter-touch than the Cessna lever.
Enabled on
Flap drag
13%
The sustained pitch-force change from flap drag at airspeed. Extending flaps should change what your hand holds, not just make noise.
▲ More: a bigger stick-load change when the flaps come out. ▼ Less: less trim shift from flap.
Why here: Mild pitch rebalance with flap.
Enabled on · Max flap index 2 · Min knots 55 · Full knots 98
Propwash pitch
16%
Power-on pitch bias from propwash over the elevator: why adding power on a prop aircraft nudges the nose and the stick. Zero for jets.
▲ More: a stronger power-on pitch nudge. ▼ Less: power changes feel more neutral.
Why here: 16%: the constant-speed prop sits further from the tail's authority than the 172's; power pitch is present but subtler.
Min rpm 0.35 · Washout knots 90
Rate damping
Pitch gain
6%
Resistance proportional to the aircraft's pitch rotation rate. It settles the stick after abrupt pitch inputs; zero on both axes turns rate damping off.
▲ More: the stick settles harder against pitch rotation. ▼ Less: less resistance to quick pitch changes.
Why here: Settles the light stick after abrupt inputs.
Rate damping enabled on · Max force 0.2
Roll gain
5%
The roll-axis counterpart: damping against roll rate to stop post-input wobble.
▲ More: more resistance to roll rate. ▼ Less: a livelier roll axis.
Why here: Slightly more than the metal trainers: the long wing's roll inertia reads as viscosity.
Stick drop
Force
25%
How hard the elevator falls forward at rest, the parked slump of an unpowered control run. Zero disables it.
▲ More: a heavier forward slump at rest. ▼ Less: a lighter parked lean.
Why here: The parked elevator rests forward; 25% reproduces it.
Stick drop
on
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Tricycle center-stick trainer; a parked stick falls forward.
Fade airspeed
30
The airspeed where the forward slump has fully faded, typically almost as soon as airflow builds on the takeoff roll.
▲ More: the slump lingers further into the takeoff roll. ▼ Less: it vanishes almost as soon as you roll.
Why here: Airflow picks it up early in the roll.
Autopilot follow
Authority
10%
How far autopilot commands may physically move the stick. Kept tiny in MSFS, where a moved axis can read back as pilot input; zero disables following entirely.
▲ More: the autopilot visibly moves your stick further. ▼ Less: a barely perceptible follow.
Why here: Tiny GFC700 follow.
Follow enabled on
Strength
20%
How firmly the stick holds the autopilot's commanded position while following is active.
▲ More: a firmer hold on the AP's commanded position. ▼ Less: softer, easy to override.
Why here: Enough to feel the servos fly.
Starter history
Version 22026-07-24
Research retune: force gain dropped so the two-finger stick sits clearly lighter than the C172, buffet raised to the documented strongest-of-class cue, near-balanced harmony.
Version 12026-05-30
Initial starter baseline.
Community & corrections
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Help wanted
What the research could not pin down. If you fly the type, or can point at a source, a correction on any of these feeds the next revision directly.
Absolute spring and gain magnitudes are device-relative and bench-set.
Power-change trim forces — no citable source found.
NG-versus-180 force deltas are assumed nil (same control runs); no direct comparison published.
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