Performance Data for the Beechcraft Sundowner

partment) add a little peace of mind when it comes time for a turn, either in the air or on the ground. Instrument layout on the panel is fine, but the switches are another matter. In a line along both sides of the pilot's control column is an array of toggle switches. Some control lights, another activates pitot heat, another is for elec- tric trim, one more is for the fuel boost pump, and two others are the master switches. Most are two-position switches, but one has three positions. Most are off when down, but the beacon/strobe light is off in the middle position and on in the down position. For the pilot un- familiar with the plane, it takes a little getting used to. The engine controls, though, are com- fortably planted in a center-panel con- sole. Left to right are throttle, carb heat and mixture, each with a distinctively shaped handle for tactile recognition. All three controls were black on the Sundowner I flew, but Agur said the factory would be color-coding the con- trols (black, blue, and red) to distin- guish them even further. Heat and defroster controls are to the right of the console, beside a space for an optional electric flap control. Stand- ard flaps are manual, operated by a four-position, floor-mounted hand lever. The Lycoming 0-360 engine is a car- buretor-type, and starting procedures were normal. After takeoff we headed away from the Washington, D.C., area toward Berkeley Springs, W. Va. On climbout at 80 mph, the vertical speed indicator showed 700 fpm as we passed through 1,500 feet. Temperature at that altitude was 72°. We were not heavily loaded; two passengers and about three- quarters of the 52 usable gallons left us roughly 335 pounds below the craft's maximum gross weight of 2,455 pounds. Passing through 3,000 feet (full throttle is used throughout the climb), I let airspeed creep up to 95, but was still getting a climb at more than 650 fpm. At 5,500 feet, holding 95 mph indi- cated, the rate-of-climb indicator showed 575 fpm. Visibility was extremely good. The large windshield that creeps back almost over your head, combined with that low- ered panel, allows easy forward and up- ward scanning. Right after takeoff, if climbout is normal, you can even see over the nose to the horizon in front of you. En route, I wound around the sky a bit with some turns and stalls to get more of a feel for the airplane. The ailerons provide a very positive feel, with a moderately fast roll that stops almost instantaneously when the aile- continued on page 55 Two doors and widespread mains are distinctive (and laudable) characteristics of the Sundowner. 50 THE AOPA PilOT I OCTOBER 1974 BEECHCRAFT SUNDOWNER 180 There is no published short field take- off procedure for the Sundowner, but Agur demonstrated his method. Full throttle, no flaps, begin roll. At between 60 and 65 indicated, drop two notches of flaps and haul back on the yoke. The Sundowner popped up like a high-rise elevator, putting us a hundred feet or so above the runway very quickly after about 500 feet of ground run. Ventilation in the Sundowner was a problem. No doubt about it, it was hot, both on the ground and in the pattern. The company, said Agur, is redesigning the cabin airflow system, which should make things much better. The change will soon be coming off production lines, he said. Marketing for the Sundowner and the other two light singles has received new emphasis at Beech. The key is the Beech Acro Center program, which offers training, sales, and service for the Sierra, Sundowner, and Sport. There are currently about 115 centers around the nation, and 32 of them have the Beech Aero Club, an aviation "country club/flying club" where social- izing and flying are combined for mem- bers. The number of clubs is steadily increasing. Beech's new emblem, a red, white, and blue bull's-eye with a plane in the middle, is spread around the company's planes, Aero Centers, and sales litera- ture. Said one official in Wichita: "What we're trying to do is make that Beech logo and Aero Club concept as popular as McDonald's golden arches." 0 PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS Lycoming 0-360-MJ, 180 hp 76 in, fixed pitch 1,500lb 955 Ib 2,455 Ib 270lb 32 ft 9 in 146 sq It 25 It 8.5 in 8 It 3 in 58 gal 8 qt 16.78 Ib/sq It 13.611bjhp $21,000 138 mph 131 mph 529 mi 12,600 It 792 fpm 1,955 It 1,484 It . 59 mph Top speed Cruise, 75% power Range, 75% power (includes allowance for start and taxi, plus 45-min reserve) Service ceiling Rate of climb Takeoff distance (over 50 It obstacle) Landing distance (over 50 It obstacle) Stall, flaps down Engine Propeller Empty weight Useful load Gross weight Baggage Wingspan Wing area Length Height Fuel capacity Oil capacity Wing loading Power loading Basic price rons are neutralized. During steep turns the Sundowner's nose drops fast and demands strong up-elevator force to hold altitude. Stalls were smooth, pretty much straight ahead, and evidenced no ex- treme characteristics. Power off, no flaps, the stall came at an indicated 63 mph. With full flaps it came around 55. In a turn, the craft would fall in the direction of bank, and there was al- ways a little bit of elevator buffeting before the stall. A couple of speed checks at 7,500 feet proved that the plane repeatedly exceeded "book" speeds. Full throttle at that altitude gives about 75% power and 2,600 rpm. According to the book, I should have been going 131 mph. My computed true airspeed, however, was 139. At 2,500 rpm, or 65% power, the book shows 118 mph. My airspeed fig- ured out to 131 true. Agur explained that Beech had been stung a couple of years ago by using old performance figures, after their planes had been slowed down with op- tions (cabin steps, EL T antennas, more ventilation, etc.). Thus, they could not match the published numbers. So the company has conservatively reflown its planes and come up with new perform- ance figures-and its production air- planes more than live up to the num- bers. I later tried an economy cruise set- ting, about 58% power and 2,300 rpm at 5,500 feet. The book said I should have been going about 105 mph. Accord- ing to my airspeed indicator and my whiz wheel, however, I was moving at 121 true. Moreover, the plane was burn- ing only 7.9 gallons per hour. Although sound levels inside the cabin were generally quite acceptable, at full power the cabin resonated with a throaty engine noise that, without earplugs, would become quite objectionable if it continued for any length of time. At Potomac Airport near Berkeley Springs, I headed for my first landing. Agur told me to hold my airspeed up to the flare, or we would drop in hard. No problem. Two notches of flaps on final and about 80 mph gave a smooth but firm landing-nothing unusual for a low-wing craft. Without working too hard, the normal landing and roll to a stop consumed about 1,000 feet. Full flaps and an approach speed of 70-75 mph would have cut a couple of hun- dred feet off the distance, but would have made flare a little touchier. The shock-absorber system on the plane is simple and maintenance-free. Bumps are contained by rubber discs, or "biscuits," as Agur called them. No oil or air is anywhere in the system. Temperature at the 413-foot-msl field was about 86°. Even so, takeoff con- sumed little more than 1,000 feet, flaps down one notch. By the way, the plane is placarded against slips of more than 30 seconds' duration. Fuel flow can be interrupted when the rule is broken. SUN DOWNER continued from page 50