Cessna T303 Crusader

aircraft in which a problem means the earliest possible landing. Cessna has a school for the T303 that is highly rec- ommended for any owner or operator. It is cheap insurance and will add to the utility of the airplane. The article written .last year spent a lot of time on the systems and the pas- senger appeal of the Crusader and to the careful attention to operational concerns that Cessna's designers dis- played. Our flights in the second pro- duction aircraft were brief and were meant to provide a sample of the strong points of its behavior under the careful tutelage of a Cessna company 112· MARCH1983 pilot. Initial impressions included ease and simplicity of operation. Just as the design would appeal to passengers, it would to pilots, and it would require no tricks or superior skill. The second encounter with a Cru- sader was to include a variety of mis- sions, weather, loads and conditions to see how it did away from home. After a day of refamiliarization and check- flights, I was set free to leave the fac- tory and the careful guidance and ob- servation of company pilots. In all, we flew the Crusader for aboljt 40 hours of day, night, VFR, IFR, local, demonstration and cross-country operations. About the only condition we did not encounter was any signifi- cant amount of ice. There were a few times during my flights in the aircraft that I felt like a company demonstration salesman, since I encountered a lot of people who had never seen a T303 and wanted to look it over and ask questions about it. There were also quite a few controllers who had never heard of one and kept asking for verification of the make and model. The weather was wet for most of the time we had the aircraft, and the optional cabin carpet ($2,575) had its baby-blue color tinged with mud, snow and water as people wriggled through 011 their way to the cockpit. Our unin- tended sample of pilots, charter oper- ators and linemen was overwhelmingly favorably impressed by the appearance and features of the aircraft. As was mentioned in last February's issue of Pilot, Cessna paid a lot of at- tention to maintenance accessibility of the airplane. We left it at a shop to have the oil and filters changed with instructions that the manual was right at the cabin entrance. A mechanic un- cowled one engine before he realized there is an access door on the bottom of each nacelle to make such regular maintenance less time consuming. Aside from the already mentioned caveats about learning the systems, the Crusader is a very simple and pleasant aircraft to operate. Preflight is easy with the exception of checking the tail surfaces (unless you either are more than seven feet tall or keep a ladder handy). Fuel sampling and engine, oil, gear and airframe checking keep get- ting gas, oil and other detritus on your cuffs and up your arm to a minimum. Weight and balance calculations should be a go/no-go part of preflight, particularly if three or more people, some baggage and maximum fuel are part of your plan. Cessna has taken a cue from Piper and developed a weight and balance plotter that simplifies the calculations. With just two people in the cockpit and full fuel, CG is toward the forward limit, so equipment and baggage loads in the nose must be evaluated carefully. CG change with fuel burn is minimal. The zero fuel weight is not a large factor in typically equipped Crusaders, since it is 300 pounds lower than maxi- mum takeoff weight, but it must be con- sidered. Aircraft without the heavy duty wheels, brakes and tires have a maxi- mum landing weight of 5,000 pounds. The loading options that all the bag- gage locations provide probably will tempt some pilots to fill the spaces without much consideration of weight and balance. For them, there are two things to suggest: Fly the airplane at gross weight loaded to the aft CG limit on a turbulent day, then consider what it would be like to fly out of CG; and remember that loaded to more than gross weight, with the aircraft cleaned up, single-engine performance will be a zero to minus figure. Cessna's operating manuals are quite complete, with the exception of any cal- culation of accelerate/go data. In the emergency procedures section, there are three pages dealing with engine failure that include some vital considerations for the pilot. We lecture and preach about knowledge, training and profi- ciency in Pilot perhaps more than some readers like. But a pilot without those three essentials has cast himself adrift if something goes wrong. Just consider an engine failure at gross during takeoff in a T303 or any other light or medium twin. Knowledge of the performance of the aircraft, criti- cal speeds and the available decisions should be put in the life-or-death col- umn. The book says an alert, proficient pilot who recognizes an engine failure at 77 KIAS can stop the aircraft in 3,185 feet at sea level on a standard tempera- ture day. At a density altitude of 6,000 feet, it takes 4,330 feet. In the event of an engine failure shortly after takeoff, prompt decisions and actions and very precise flying is demanded. Single-engine rate of climb is 220 fpm on a standard day at sea level with the aircraft clean. If the gear is still down, this becomes a descent of 130 fpm if the aircraft is flown perfectly, 230 fpm down with full flaps and 30 fpm down with a windmilling propel- ler. 'Nough said. Visibility from the cockpit is very good for a light twin. The nacelles are quite low in relation to the pilot's eye level (and each nacelle has a mirror mounted on the inboard side so nose- gear position can be verified). The Cru- sader's nose slopes away to provide good forward visibility even in normal climb attitudes. Engine start, taxi and pre-takeoff checks are basic and simple; the check list is well-organized. Ground handling is easy. By selecting the right options, the aircraft can be made very conspicu- ous on the ground and in the air. The wing-mounted landing lights (the right side is an option) double as recognition lights; there are top and bottom white flashing beacons; a three-light strobe system is a highly recommended op- tion; the taxi light is mounted on the nose gear and swivels as you turn. As has been mentioned, the cockpit is well designed and organized for single- pilot operation. All fuel and engine con- trols are mounted on the center pedes- tal. The fuel selectors (On, Off, The T303 does not look like any other Cessna product, but it may be the shape of things to come from the company. /•••. ~ .J? your attention, plus a variable audio warning horn that increases in inten- sity as you approach the stall. Power- on stalls require a very high deck an- gle. In abrupt-entry stalls, or when the aircraft is held in the stall, there is a tendency for a wing to drop. It can be picked up easily with rudder or with aileron. The basic task of flying the airplane was picked up quickly by everyone and rudder input are the lightest; the ailerons are a trifle heavy, but response to control inputs are crisp and sure, even during slow flight. The Crusader is a confidence-build- ing aircraft in all flight regimes. A vari- ety of stall series at gross and lighter weights demonstrate its basic good qualities. Even during abrupt entries, there is a reluctance to stall, and there is plenty of aerodynamic buffet to grab Crossfeed) are mounted on the base with the fuel gauges directly above. There is three-axis trim, with the con- trols on the pedestal. The engine in- struments are just above the pedestal, with the manifold pressure, tachome- ters, fuel-flow and exhaust gas tem- perature gauges on the center of the panel just below the glare shield and almost directly in line with their associ- ated controls. Circuit breakers, electrical switches and related accessories are mounted on a sub panel to the left of the pilot's seat. There is plenty of space on the panel for a full-house avionics package (all ARC except for the radar, quite a bit of which, including the 400 series autopi- lot, is part of the basic equipment and base price of the Crusader). There is an annunciator panel directly in front of the pilot that includes warning lights for several principal systems, including engine temperature/fire warning. And an optional, right-side flight instrument package, with its own pitot/static sys- tem, can be installed. Power management is simplified, too. Maximum rpm is 2,400; maximum manifold pressure is 32.5 inches. This setting is normally used just for initial takeoff. However, it is also the maxi- mum continuous rated power and can be used for climb at the price of high fuel burn, high noise and increased wear and tear. Buried in the operating manual is an interim climb power set- ting of 2,400/27.5. The recommended cruise power setting is 2,400/24 at a total fuel flow of 190 pph. Maximum cruise power is also 2,400/24 at an av- erage fuel flow of 160 to 170 pph. However, care must be taken since the maximum cruise power is 72 percent. At colder than standard temperatures, this rating can be exceeded at that power setting. Ten degrees of flaps are suggested for takeoff to reduce the ground run and make rotation easier. Everyone with whom I flew the Crusader had an initial tendency to over rotate on the first few tries, but everyone adjusted quickly. The other little difference in flying the Crusader we noted was a corresponding tendency to pitch up too much on landing. The only other area of concern we encountered was imaginary: Some of the pilots were certain they were flying a big, heavy twin. Even loaded to gross, the Crusader is relatively light and responsive. Pitch continued 114· MARCH 1983 ----------------------------------------------------~---- 4,850 Ib 930 Ib (918 Ib usable) 155 gal (153 gal usable) Oil capacity, ed engine 9 qt Baggage capacity aft Performance Takeoff distance, ground roll 1,275 ft Takeoff distance over 50-ft obst 1,750 ft Accelerate/stop distance 3,185 ft Max demonstrated crosswind component 20 kt Rate of climb, sea level 1,480 fpm Practically everything we can say and everything we experienced with the Cessna Crusader was good. The tough part comes with the base and equipped prices of this little twin that looks and acts like a big one. When it was intro- duced, most people thought it really would give the industry's most success- ful twin, the Piper Seneca, a hard com- petitor. The edge in appeal, arrange- ment and systems, more modern aerodynamics and construction meth- ods was blunted with the base and equipped prices. The Crusader's base price includes many things that are usually options. That softens somewhat the nearly $100,000 spread between the base price Cessna T303 Crusader Base price $260,250 Price as tested $330,290 AOPA Pilot Operations/Equipment Category": IFR $265,000 to $315,000 (est.) All-weather $280,000 to $340,000 (est.) Specifications 2 Teledyne Continental. turbocharged, fuel-injected, six cylinder, counter rotating, TSIO-520-AE and LTSIO-520-AE, 250 bhp @ 2,400 rpm/32.5 in Recommended TBO 2,000 hr Propellers McCauley 3-blade, hydraulically activated, constant speed, full-feathering 74 in dia 30 ft 5 in 13 ft 4 in 39 ft 5 in 189.2 sq ft 27.2 Ib/sq ft 10.3Ib/hp 6 13 ft 7 in 3 ft 11.8 in 3 ft 1 1.5 in 3,328 Ib 3,628.91b 5,1751b 1,8471b 1,546.11b 9291b 628.11b 5,1501b 5,000 lb 65 KIAS 80 KIAS 77 KIAS 103 KIAS 20,000 ft 20,000 ft 20,000 ft Vie (Max gear extended) Via (Max gear operating) Extend 175 KIAS Retract 150 KIAS Vno (Max structural cruising) 175 KIAS Vne (Never exceed) 210 KIAS Vr (Rotation) 75 KIAS Vst (Stall clean) 66 KIAS Vso (Stall in landing configuration) 58 KIAS All specificatiolls are based all ma/Illfacturers calmlatiOlls. All performallce figures are based all stOlldard day, stalldard atmosphere, at sea level a/ld gross weight, ulIless othenl'ise ltoted. Single-engine ROC, sea level 220 fpm Max level speed, 18,000 ft 2 I 6 kt Cruise sfwed/Range w /45-min rsv, std fuel (fuel consumption, ea engine) @72% power, best economy 10,000 ft 178 kt/850 nm (162 pph/27 gph) 193 kt/890 nm (159 pph/26.5 gph) @65% power, best economy 10,000 ft 170 kt/920 nm (147 pph/24.5 gph) 184 kt/930 nm (147 pph/24.5 gph) @55% power, best economy 10,000 ft 155 kt/960 nm (124 pph/20.7 gph) 166 kt/935 nm (127 pph/21.2 gph) Max operating altitude 25,000 It Single-engine service ceiling 13,000 It Critical altitude 15,000 ft Landing distance over 50-ft obst 1,450 ft Landing distance, ground roll 820 ft Limiting and Recommended Airspeeds Vmc (Air min control w/one engine inoperative) Vs>e (Min intentional one-engine inoperative) Vx (Best angle of climb) Vy (Best rate of climb) Vxse (Best single-engine angle of climb) 93 KIAS Vyse (Best single-engine rate of climb) 97 KIAS Va (Design maneuvering) 148 KIAS Vfe (Max flap extended) 100 175 KIAS 200 150 KIAS 300 125 KIAS 210 KIAS of it and the Seneca. However, com- parably equipped Senecas (with com- petiti ve performance) are still near!y $100,000 less than a Crusader. And price is more than ever an object. Handsome is and handsome does pretty well sums up a subjective reac- tion to the Crusader. It has a lot of appeal for many reasons. Whether that can overcome the price disparity, the market will determine. The most impressive aspect of the aircraft to me is the careful thought and development work the Crusader exhib- its. I hope that good work and commit- ment to product development and pilot work load will be extended to other light aircraft. 0 200lb 1501b 120 Ib ea nose wing lockers Length Height Wingspan Wing area Wing loading Power loading Seats Cabin length Cabin width Cabin height Empty weight Empty weight, as tested Max ramp weight Useful load Useful load, as tested Payload w /full fuel Payload w /full fuel, as tested Max takeoff weight Max landing weight (5,150 Ib w/heavy-duty wheels, tires and brakes) Zero fuel weight Fuel capacity, std Powerplants who had a chance to fly it. The excel- lent cockpit arrangement helped keep fumbling down to a minimum. Speed management during descent and approach is easy. Profile manage- ment during descent, and slowing for approach speeds or entering landing patterns are simplified with the high gear and approach-flap speed of 175 KIAS. There is minimal pitch change with the extension or retraction of gear and flaps. It was tried several times and over a range of speed with the autopilot engaged with little effect. The staff's experience with the Cru- sader ranged from long cross countries to brief local hops in VFR and IFR con- ditions, day and night. If there are han- dling vices anywhere in the normal flight envelope, none of us encoun- tered them. Aside from achieving the proper technique for departure and landing, there are no special tricks to learn to fly it with satisfaction. The only shortcomings we found are the yaw instability that is particularly noticeable in turbulence (anyone who buys one without the optional yaw damper will regret it), the large amount of reflection from cockpit lighting in the windows that can be annoying or even unsettling during night flight (a larger glare shield would help consid- erably) and the high noise level at high power settings. Most of our flights were made at 2,400 rpm because of break-in proce- dures. After the first oil and filter change, we experimented with power settings throughout the range of from 2,100 to 2,400 rpm. Just coming back the first 100 rpm produced a welcome change in noise and vibration. The noise-generated fatigue I felt at 2,400 rpm disappeared when the aircraft was flown at slower revolutions. Performance is quite satisfactory, particularly when the fuel burns at cruise are taken into account. Endur- ance with reserves is nearly five hours at 70 percent power at any selected al- titude. At 60 percent, it is more than five and a half, and true airspeed is better than 165 knots average above 10,000 feet. The only significant systems problem we encountered with the airplane was a repetitive failure of positive nose-gear lock after gear extension. Each time it occurred, one recycle of the gear cleared the fault. We have not yet learned whether the problem was in the gear downlock or the switch. AOPA PILOT • 115