AOPA PILOT

and contend is one of the more polite words that come to mind when you are stooping awkwardly under the low wing, and stooping again and again. Beech provides a red metal tool that doubles as a fuel drainer and an emer- gency gear-extension device. (It also can be used to open the fuel filler cap and to turn the oil filler cap.) Starting with the fuel-tank sumps, outboard of the engines, you must brace for a large stream of fuel-the helpful tool would be more helpful if it were not an open cylinder but had a container to catch the fuel sample. Another outlet on the outboard side of each engine nacelle drains the fuel-selector valves, and at the wing root are flush drains for the crossfeed line-two on each side. No fuel goes through the cabin, inci- dentally, as the fuel indications are trans- mitted electrically to the fuel-quantity indicators on the Duchess's panel. DUI:HE55 The two fuel tanks hold 51.5 gallons each, or 103 total of which 100 gallons are usable. Tab indicators in the fuel- tank filler necks indicate full at the top, 38.5 gallons usable at the center mark and 28.5 gallons usable at the bottom of the tab. The markings help take the guesswork out of partial filling when weight is a consideration. Before you squeeze in between the propeller, the nacelle and the nose to drain the crossfeed fuel, you want to be certain that all the switches are off, as there is no room for error. The awkward crouch you must as- sume there to reach the fuel drains puts you in perfect position to check the landing gear. The main gear is a modi- fied version of that on the Sierra, ex- cept the Duchess gear has oleo shock absorbers instead of rubber doughnuts. Changing the gear-along with the longer wingspan, the T-tail and per- haps the addition of the engines to the INSIDE, CLEAR MARKINGS AND A CLEAR VIEW DISTINGUISH THE DUCHESS. 32 • APRIL 1981 wing-has made landing the Duchess a pleasure, especially for one whose good landings in a Musketeer were occasions rare enough to be notable. The nose gear will look familiar to Bonanza pilots, but slightly askew. The Bonanza gear has been reversed-the scissor link is in the rear on the Duch- ess so that the nose gear can retract for- ward. This was done so that the slip- stream will force the nosegear into place when it falls in emergency gear extension and because there was more space forward. The gear is operated by an electrical- ly driven hydraulic pump. Should the gear fail to lower in flight, you take the handy fuel drain/emergency landing- gear extension tool to turn the handle on the dump valve, located in front of the pilot's seat. The gear will fall free. (First, of course, you must slow to the gear-extension speed of 140 knots, put the landing-gear control switch down and pull the circuit breaker.) After the preflight is completed, the Duchess makes the next step easy. There is a large 36- by 38-inch door on the pilot's side, and one on the right side. (The baggage-door is almost as large as the entry doors.) A Duchess pi- lot soon becomes adept at releasing the door stays with his foot to avoid an ex- tra stoop. And a good thump on the top of the door to the rear assures the door is closed tightly. There is no reas- suring double lock. The next thing to do inside the cabin is to stow the fuel-drainer tool, in case it is needed in its other capacity for emergency gear extension. There is a special pocket for it on the door. If the Duchess's exterior good looks have not sold you on the airplane, sit- ting in the left seat and gazing at the instrument panel will. The panel is low and flat and organized in a simplicity that reflects Beech's progressive think- ing on human factors engineering. Considerable thought went into the Duchess's panel layout. The flight instruments are in the ba- sic T in front of the pilot, with the avi- onics to the far right. In the center are the engine gauges, with sharp, clear, brightly colored markings. The gauges are so easy to read that you can tell at a glance whether you have sufficient fuel or oil pressure, or whether oil and cyl- inder head temperatures are within' limits. The fuel-quantity gauges are on top of the stack, with yellow arcs marking the empty ends of the gauges. If the needle is in the yellow, there are AOPA PILOT' 33 continued fewer than nine gallons left in the re- spective fuel tank. The handbook warns that you should not take off with fewer than nine gallons in either tank. (Another limitation is the 30-sec- ond maximum duration for slips.) Other powerplant instruments- manifold pressure and tachometer-are just to the left of the center gauges. Two tachometers are standard equip- ment on the Duchess. The more practi- cal dual-needle single instrument is op- tional; it makes engine management easier, and it frees a space in the panel for another instrument. (The exchange also frees you of $268.) Beech will install any avionics you want. Factory packages include Collins Microline, Edo-Aire and King Silver Crown avionics. The newest option for the panel is RCA WeatherScout II ra- dar. Price for the monochromatic ver- sion is $10,995; the cost of the color radar has not been set, but is expected to be about $4,000 to $5,000 more. Alternator and master switches are to the pilot's left, with the magneto/ start switches next to them. No key is needed, and the prime is built into the switch. With the switch on Both, just push the switch in to prime, for three to five seconds, then crank the starter. Engine controls are in the center quadrant, in the conventional order (not the Baron arrangement)-mixture to the right, propeller in the middle and throttle on the left. The power quad- rant is marked clearly. There is a large T, P or M over the appropriate throttle, prop and mixture control. The power controls are marked for position also- Full and Idle, Hi RPM and Feather, Rich and Lean. Gear and flap switches also are con- ventional-the gear switch is to the left of the power console, and flaps are to the right. The flap switch has three po- sitions-Down, Off and Up; you can select 10 or 20 degrees. It is a good idea when putting the flaps up to leave the switch in the Up position, rather than switch back to Off, lest you go too far and hit Down. Just below the power quadrant are the only cockpit items that do not quite measure up to the rest of the systems. The carburetor heat is off when the levers are up, on when down; but from the pilot's vantage point, the Off indi- cation cannot be seen. The levers for carb heat, cowl flaps and fuel selector do not move easily, and you cannot move the pairs of levers simultaneous- ly. The levers are flat metal, and the slots and detents also are cut out of sheet metal. Because of the blunt edges, I am careful not to get a finger DUCHESS too close while I am operating them. All is forgiven, however, when you see the simplicity of the fuel system. The fuel selector console is on the floor between the pilot and the copilot, and the only choices distinctly are labeled On, Off or Crossfeed. If one engine is not operating, the fuel tank on that side should be switched off. If fuel from that side is needed for the operat- ing engine, the selector is moved to Cross feed and the fuel is pumped di- rectly to the opposite engine. Cross feed can be used only in level flight. You do not have to become airborne to feel that the Duchess is a good multi-engine trainer. Once in the air, however, your initial impressions are confirmed-it is an airplane that is complex enough to acquaint a student thoroughly with the basics of multi- engine systems and procedures, but simple enough to avoid overwhelming him with the undue complexities of fuel-management and critical-engine problems. The Duchess is easier to fly in climb or descent; straight and level, you dis- cover it is not a hands-off airplane. But it responds gently to control pressures and generally is stable; however, work load increases in turbulence. Point a wing at a spot on the ground and the aircraft rotates 360 degrees about that point without a waver. (onti"w,J COUNTERROT ATING PROPS MEAN NO CRITICAL ENGINE. 34 • APRIL 1981 675 nm 70 kt 60 kt 194 kt 154 kt 1,017 ft 1,900 ft 1,248 fpm 235 fpm 171 kt 160 kt 143 kt continued DUI:HE55Point one propeller straight up and down, and the Duchess helps you through the one-engine-inoperative procedures. Your hand automatically goes to the right, adjusting the power controls, working from right, to left in logical order. Mixture Rich, propellers high rpm, throttles Full. With one foot to the floor (there is rudder trim to alleviate that) and a five-degree bank into the good engine, you have no problem track- ing straight ahead. The engines have counterrotating propellers, so there is no critical engine, and minimum control speed is the same for both engines. Climb with only one engine can be marginal. I remember straining for 25 fpm on a go-around one 1030 day, al- most at sea level, with full fuel and 560 pounds of people aboard. As we gained altitude, we got up to 50 fpm before restarting the engine. With less extreme temperatures, of course, per- formance is better; but it was a good demonstration of what one should ex- pect in less-than-ideal conditions. Most of my single-engine ap- proaches in the Duchess resulted in single-engine go-arounds, thanks to overexuberant check pilots and under- observant pilots who cut me off in the pattern; so I became well acquainted BEEC,HCRAFTMODEL 76 DUCHESS Basic price (1981) $120,750 Price as tested (1979) $117,000 Speofications Powerplant Avco Lycoming 0-360-AIG6D and LO-360-AIG6D 180 hp@ 2,700 rpm (counterrotating) Recommended TBO 1,500 hr Propeller Hartzell, constant-speed, full-feathering, 76 in Wingspan 38 ft Length 29 ft 5 in Height 9 ft 6 in Wing area 181 sq ft Wing loading 21.64 Ib/sq ft Power loading 10.881b/hp Seats 4 Cabin length 7 ft 11 in Cabin width 3 ft 8 in Cabin height 4 ft Empty weight (basic aircraft) 2,4461b Empty weight (as tested) 2,655.88 Ib Useful load (basic aircraft) 1,4701b Useful load (as tested) 1,260.12Ib Payload w/full fuel (basic aircraft) 870lb Payload w/full fuel (as tested) 660.121b Maximum ramp weight 3,9161b Maximum takeoff weight 3,9001b Maximum landing weight 3,9001b Fuel capacity 103 gal (100 usable) Oil capacity ea engine 8 qt Baggage cap.,city 200 Ib (19.5 CO ft) with single-engine climbs under varied conditions. That hot day was the most extreme. The book figure for sea-level, standard-day, single-engine climb is 235 fpm. Service ceiling is an impressive 19,650 feet; but with only one engine, it is 6,170-enough to give you some degree of confidence over the Eastern mountains, at least. (Piper's Seminole has the same engines, but the Semi- nole-nonturbocharged-has a single- engine ceiling of 4,100 feet.) The Duchess is easy to handle in slow flight, with responsive, light con- trols. There is plenty of warning of a stall from the horn and from a pro- nounced aerodynamic buffet before a sharp break. Since 85 knots is the single-engine best-rate-of-climb speed, it doubles as a good approach speed until you are assured a landing, just in case there is a last-minute change in the number of engines operating. Slow it a bit more over the threshold. The book recom- mends 75 on approach, flaps down. Less than 1,000 feet is needed for roll- out. Because the longer, intersecting runways at National often are in use by slightly larger traffic, or are about to be, the Duchess usually is asked to hold short of crossing the runway on land- ing. It has never been a problem. The Duchess now is being viewed by Performance Takeoff distance (ground roll) Takeoff over 50-ft obstacle Rate of climb (gross weight) Single-engine ROC (gross weight) Maximum level speed (sea level) Cruise speed (2,500 rpm, 8,000 ft) Cruise speed (2,300 rpm, 16,000 ft) Range @ 2,500 rpm, 8,000 ft (w/45-min res) Range @ 2,300 rpm, 16,000 ft (w/45-min res) 865 nm Service ceiling 19,650 ft Single-engine service ceiling 6,170 ft Landing distance (ground roll) 1,000 ft Landing over 50-ft obstacle 1,881 ft Limiting and Recommended Airspeeds Indicated, not calibrated Vsi (Stall clean) Vso (Stall in landing configuration) Vne (Never-exceed) Vno (Maximum structural cruising) Vmca (Minimum control speed w/one engine inoperative) 65 kt Vyse (Best single-engine rate-of-climb) 85 kt Vxse (Best single-engine angle-of-climb) 85 kt Vsse (Minimum intentional one-engine-inoperative) 71 kt Vfe (Maximum flap-extended) 110 kt VII' (Maximum landing-gear-extended) 140 kt Va (Design maneuvering) 132 kt Based on manufaclurer:' /igures. Beech as a business vehicle by pilots and operators of larger aircraft who are taking a second look at their fuel bills. While its traveling credentials-in terms of speed and cost-effectiveness- are not as impressive as its training qualities, it serves for those who want the redundancy of a twin and the add- ed redundancy of the Duchess's many backup features. And for a pilot mov- ing down from a larger twin, the Duchess's fuel consumption will light- en the monthly envelope from the oil company. But if speed and economy are more important than redundancy, there are high-performance singles that cost less to buy and to operate. I had a four-hour IS-minute flight from Washington to Bangor, Maine, for example, that came out to 19 gph total. Flying at 7,000 feet, at the rec- ommended cruise power of 24 inches and 2,300 rpm (or full throttle), gave 140 knots indicated and 160 true. Economy cruise would have resulted in 15 gph, with a true of 143 knots. (Beech has moved away from using percentages of power and talks in terms of power settings instead. This makes comparisons with other aircraft difficult, and operators will have trou- ble with leaning procedures.) For traveling, the Duchess will carry a reasonable, but not impressive, load. The standard-aircraft useful load is 1,470 pounds. With full fuel (103 gal- lons), 27D will carry four people, pro- vided one of them is 19.88 pounds less than the 170-pound FAA standard- and provided no one brings baggage. Cabin comfort over the long haul is good. In fact, the Duchess is two inches wider than the B55 Baron. The panel is too low-slung to allow maximum knee room for long-legged pilots-but what does these days? Four hours or more in the left seat is not too tiring, and the noise level does not seem high (al- though we did not measure it). Cabin air is quieted through a rear duct sys- tem, with an extra-large intake in the aft fuselage. I rode in the rear seat for a short hop to test the legroom there. It is ade- quate-for a short hop. The main spar runs under the seat and protrudes a few inches into the space meant for your heels. The seat I tried was one of the optional separate third and fourth seats, for $1,050 extra over the stan- dard bench-type rear seat-a rather steep price for any added comfort. Called easy to maintain by several owners, the Duchess has had few ma- 1 c s I. t e F tl f a g V fi Ii u c a t: I fi a 21 tI P I (: [ • cOtlfinued DUI:liE55jor airworthiness directives (ADs) in its brief history. Most recent was a re- quirement to perform a dye-penetrant inspection for cracks in the lower tubes of the engine mount. The AD called for visual inspection each 50 hours there- after. Any cracks found, of course, had to be repaired. Owner Hilterbrick said that the dye-penetrant inspection was done on 66270 during a regular 100- hour inspection and added only $20 to his bill. He added that all of the ADs on 66270 came under warranty. Another 1980 AD was issued to "prevent possible unbalanced rudder condition that could induce flutter." The problem was water trapped in the rudder and the rudder trim tab. Drain holes had to be drilled and gaps in the top of the rudder sealed. An early AD required replacement of the rudder bellcranks with self-locking nuts to prevent binding. A starter-relay problem led to anoth- er AD and revised instructions for the pilot's operating handbook. Several service difficulty reports compiled by the FAA noted stuck or seized starter relays, and Duchess and other Beech piston-engine models now have a star~er annunciator light that warns you if the starter remains engaged after you release the switch, to prevent en- gine damage. Main gear doors-which cover only the struts when retracted, not the wheels-had a few cracks early on; the doors have been reinforced. A few pilots have had engine fires on start-up-in one rare instance, a float valve malfunctioned. According to a Beech spokesman, though, other inci- dents probably were caused by pump- ing the throttle during start-some- thing the handbook warns against. If this happens in the Sundowner, the fuel runs forward into the intake mani- fold; but since the Duchess's engines are canted differently, it also can run aft into the carburetor airbox. There is a drain to vent excess fuel; in some cas- es, however, there was so much fuel it exceeded the drain capacity and ignit- ed. A Pilof staff member following rec- ommended procedures also experi- enced a fire. It was on a cold day, when the fuel did not vaporize and pooled in the manifold. So be aware of the po- tential for problems. Perhaps the Duchess's trickiest man- agement problem is the cabin heater. It is a 45,000-BTU Janitrol combustion heater that burns about two thirds of a gallon an hour from the right fuel tank. The cabin air knob must be pulled out at least an inch from the panel for the heater to operate properly. If it does not have enough air and gets too hot, the overheat switch shuts off the sys- tem. The heater in 270 shut off once when I was shooting practice ap- proaches to Dulles; the OAT was 10°F at 2,000 feet. Since the switch can be reset only when the airplane is on the ground, I had a cold return to National. There are a couple of other improve- ments I would like to see. A better map light, perhaps on the yoke, and some illumination on the fuel selector and the cowl flap would make night flying much more enjoyable and less work in- tensive, as the flashlights now get a good workout. Beech took a great step forward by mentioning in the manual the need for a five-degree bank into the good engine with the other engine out, but the mention is buried in the safety infor- mation in the back of the handbook. It is not part of the emergency engine-out procedures in the FAA-approved sec- tion of the book. Reference is made to the safety section for pilot technique, but more emphasis is needed. And I would like to see all of the V- speeds listed in one place in the book. Complaints are minor and do not de- tract from the overall quality and at- tractiveness of the aircraft. Although fewer than 400 Duchesses have been sold since first deliveries were made in 1978, the model is outselling its obvi- ous competitor. Last year, 78 Duchess- es were sold, compared with 26 Semi- noles and 29 Turbo Seminoles, even though the base prices of both Pipers ($99,110 and $112,160, respectively) are considerably lower than the Duchess's $120,750. But in checking into used Duchess prices, I tracked down a few 1978 and 1979 aircraft with fewer than 200 hours, fully equipped, for $66,000 to $78,000. Prices such as that make it an appealing buy and more competitive with a high-performance single. I have flown the Duchess in all ex- tremes, from 10° to 103°, night, day, VFR, IFR, on one engine and two, at large airports and small ones. Many times, you get to know an airplane, fin- ish your report and move on to another aircraft. With the Duchess, I think I will be back-especially for multi-en- gine proficiency work. 0