AOPA PILOT • SEPTEMBER 2003

minal where all female astronauts are pictured-both American and Russian: There are 41 photos. The first two in his- tory were Russian. New York City tried mightily to be- come the location for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but the people of Cleve- land wanted it more. Plus, Cleveland has a historical connection to the genre: Cleveland-born radio, television, and movie personality Alan Freed, on his first show on July 11, 1951, refused to use the more common "rhythm and blues" moniker, renaming the music "rock and roll." He died in 1965, his ca- reer in tatters after he fell victim to the payola scandal involving payments to disc jockeys by record companies to feature their artists. Interactive exhibits ---- in the museum allow visitors to hear virtually any song recorded by any major group or artist: I looked up Learning to Fly by Pink Floyd. Or you can read Bob Dylan's thoughts: "Hear- Hits and Misses Hits • Good performer on one engine. • Good payload with full fuel. • Excellent cruise speed of 160 KTAS. • Can climb rapidly. • Prime is done by pushing magneto switch. No manual priming required. • Very forgiving in single-engine emergenc ies. • Large baggage door. • Avionics are divided between two bus bars and two alternators, so if one fails you don't lose both radios. Misses • Electric trim is very fast and can result in overtrimming. • Elevator is very effective and pitch control requires a delicate touch. • Gear can be lowered at 140 KIAS, but can't be raised again until air- speed is 112 KIAS or less. • Nose can't be seen by the pilot, and therefore can't be used as a visual cue during flight. • Doesn't like to slow down and de- scend. Takes some practice to fly it well. • There aren't that many available on the market. • Not much legroom for the rear- seat passengers. -~~~------- ----~-.-- ing Elvis Presley for the first time was like busting out of jail." Later Wentz and I stopped by the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum oper- ated by the Western Reserve Historical Society at 1082S East Boulevard, next to the campus of Case Western Reserve University. The museum, a IS-minute drive from Burke Lakefront Airport, fea- tures antique autos and several interest- ing aircraft. A trainer from the start Once the side trips were over, it was back to work for another refresher training flight in the Duchess. Wentz teaches ground schools to make up for times when Cleveland-area winters don't sup- port flying. Last winter was especially se- vere. Consequently, Wentz knows systems and multi engine procedures well, as might be expected of any pilot who is also an instructor, ground school teacher, and examiner. He teaches students not to think until they are about 10 steps into any engine-out reaction: Move mixtures, props, and throttles forward; bring gear up; bring flaps up (or flaps up prior to gear if going around on one engine); turn fuel pumps on; move the fuel selector to an- other tank if applicable; identify the dead engine and verify it. Then think. "That's the first time I want to think," said Wentz. Thinking includes deciding whether there is time to troubleshoot, and if not, feath- ering the failed engine and following the engine shutdown checklist. The coun- terrotating props on the Duchess mean there is no critical engine. The Duchess was designed for training and rent- al at Beech Aero Clubs, and many of its special de- sign features make it good for per- sonal travel as well. There are two doors so Wentz and I could enter at the same time and quickly close up the cabin-impor- tant in frigid temperatures. Visibility is greenhouselike, a much appreciated trait given the training environment and the congested airspace around Burke Lakefront, which sits partially on a land- fill next to Lake Erie and the city skyline. The airport was once threatened by clo- sure, but airport officials said city offi- cials now appreciate its role in the local economy and have approved future de- velopment plans. (See "AOPA Action: Fresh Burke Lakefront Bashing Raises Red Flag," July 2002 Pilot.) Celebrities such as football coach Don Shula, actor and director Rob Reiner, singer LeAnn Rimes, then-presidential candidate George W. Bush, former President Bill Clinton (since leaving office), and Oprah Winfrey use it. This year Fleet- The Crawford Museum (left) is a few blocks from the Burke Lakefront Airport, while the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (below) Is only a few hundred yards away. wood Mac and Elton John used the air- port. It is also favored by visiting basket- ball, hockey, and baseball teams. Even the Ohio governor lands there. The greenhouse visibility has its drawbacks, however. Pilots can't see the nose, so it is impossible to use single- engine tricks like putting the nose on the horizon for the approximate correct climb attitude and speed. In fact, in level cruise the correct Duchess attitude ap- pears to the pilot to be nose down, and it takes some training time before the feel- ing goes away. I found the electric trim to be lightning fast, so fast in fact that on, the first flight I was always over- or un- . dertrimming. By the second flight I had learned to blip the trim switch momen- tarily for finer adjustments. Trim aside, the powerful elevator up there on the T- AOPA PILOT. 89 •SEPTEMBER 2003 SPECSHEET Beechcraft Duchess 76 Price as new: $197,281 Price as tested: $190,000 Single-engine ROC, sea level 230 fpm Max level speed. sea level 152 kt Cruise speed/range w/45-min rsv. (fuel consumption) @ 24 in and 2,400 rpm. best power mixture, 6,000 feet . ........................................ 166 KTAS/600 nm (23 gph) Service ceiling 19,650 ft Single-engine service ceiling 6,170 ft Landing distance over 5().ft obstacle 1.881 ft Landing distance. ground roll 1.000 ft Specifications Powerplants Two Lycoming 0-360-A1G6D. 180 hp @ 2.700 rpm Recommended TBO 2.000 hr (2,200 hr if flown at least 40 hr per month) Propellers Hartzell two-blade, full-feathering. constant-speed. 76-in dia Length 29 ft 5 in Height 9 ft 6 in Wingspan 38 ft Wing area 181 sq ft Wing loading 21.5 Ib/sq ft Power loading 10.8 Ib/hp Seats .4 Cabin length 7 ft 11 in Cabin width 3 ft 8 in Cabin height .4 ft Standard empty weight 2,446 Ib Empty weight. as tested 2.703 Ib Max ramp weight 3.916 Ib Max gross weight 3.900 Ib Max usefulload l,470 Ib Max useful load. as tested 1.197 Ib Max payload w/full fuel 870 Ib Max payload w/full fuel. as tested 597 Ib Max takeoff weight 3.900 Ib Max landing weight 3.900 Ib Fuel capacity. std . .............................. 103 gal (100 gal usable) 618 Ib (600 Ib usable) Baggage capacity 200 Ib, 19.5 cu ft Performance Takeoff distance. ground roll 1.017 ft Takeoff distance over 5().ft obstacle 2.119 ft Accelerate-stop distance 2,450 ft Accelerate-go distance @ 3.600 Ib 6.200 ft Max demonstrated crosswind component . ...................................................... 25 kt Rate of climb. sea level 1.248 fpm Limiting and Recommended Airspeeds VR (rotation) 71 KIAS Vx (best angle of climb) 71 KIAS Vy (best rate of climb) 85 KIAS VXSE (best single-engine angle of climb) . .................................................. 85 KIAS VYSE (best single-engine rate of climb) . .................................................. 85 KIAS VMC (min control w/one engine inoperative) .................................................... 65 KIAS VSSE (min intentional one-engine operation) .................................................. 85 KIAS VA (design maneuvering) 132 KIAS VFE (max flap extended) 110 KIAS VLE (max gear extended) 140 KIAS VLO (max gear operating) Extend 140 KIAS Retract 112 KIAS VNO (max structural cruising) 154 KIAS VNE (never exceed) 194 KIAS VS1(stall. clean) 70 KIAS Vso (stall, in landing configuration) 60 KIAS All specifications are based on manufactur- er's calculations. All performance figures are based on standard day, standard atmosphere. sea level. gross weight conditions unless oth- erwise noted. flight, but it was strengthened as re- quired by an AD and was improved on subsequent aircraft. Overall the aircraft has an excellent safety record with few fatalities. Whether it's initial training, refresher training, or ATP training, you'll enjoy the experience. After a day of engine-outs, the crew at AirSports recommends you celebrate at Johnny's, a steak restaurant on Cleveland's West Sixth Street. You can trust the recommendation because they know how to treat their customers. They get a lot of practice. After all, they have royalty in their midst, the Duchess of Cleveland. /!CR •.'. tail at first gave me fits: Setting the de- scent on the attitude indicator to a bar width down, the aircraft tended to de- scend at 1,000 fpm. But one should hardly complain that the elevator is too effective; it's much better than if it were ineffective. The Duchess 76, so named because it first flew in 1976 (but wasn't delivered to the first customer until 1978), needed few modifications after the design was certified. Over its four-year production run there were improvements to door locks, cowl flap hinges, engine mounts, and in 1981 a muting system for the landing-gear warning horn. The warn- ing horn comes on whenever the air- plane configuration suggests a gear-up landing-annoying when teaching stalls and slow flight. Its airworthiness direc- tives over the years have been relatively minor and affected the main landing gear, flight controls, and the electrical system. The fleet was grounded briefly in 1978 when a trim pushrod failed in AOPA PILOT' 90 •SEPTEMBER 2003 i Links to more information about the Beechcraft Duchess may be found on AOPA Online (www. aopa.org/ pilot! links.shtml). Keyword search: Duchess. E-mail the author at alton.marsh@ aopa.org