Cessna 421C Golden Eagle Pilot's Operating Handbook

of the big, geared engines was raised from 1,200 to 1,600 hours. The fuel-injection system was re- worked in 1981. A seventh nozzle was incorporated to prime the engine for starting, and an oil line was routed through the fuel-injection manifold valve. The oil line warms the manifold cavity and helps to prevent the forma- tion of ice crystals. (Addition of anti- icing compounds such as ethylene gly- col monomethyl ether, which is mar- keted under the trade name Prist, and isopropyl alcohol also is approved. However, recommended mixing proce- dures should be adhered to strictly. If too much alcohol is added to the fuel, for instance, tank sealant materials may begin to deteriorate.) Golden Eagle production was sus- pended for 1983. At this writing, Cessna was considering early introduc- tion of the 1984 model, with produc- tion to be resumed as early as this fall. Our evaluation airplane, N6787L, is a 1982 model and is typically equipped. For starters, it is what Cessna calls a Golden Eagle III, which for a base price of $603,900 includes standard items such as a Cessna ARC 800B inte- grated flight control system; dual 1,000-series communication and navi- gation radios; a I,OOO-series ADF, glideslope receiver, radiomagnetic indi- cator, DME and area navigation sys- tems; an 800-series transponder and encoding altimeter with alerting and preselect features; a radio altimeter; a Bendix RDR-160 weather radar system; and a cabin air conditioner. The list .price (remember, these are 1982 figures) for N6787L was boosted to $662,175 with a seventh seat, a sec- ond transponder, color weather radar display, a known-icing package (heated props, wing and empennage boots, heated windshield and static ports, ice- detection light and fuselage ice-protec- tion plates), a left wing-locker fuel tank, special interior lighting, refresh- ment center, writing tables and a biffy-to name a few of the major op- AOPA PILOT • 39 I continued tions. If someone had handed me a blank check, I would have added a ra- dio telephone, $6,820, and a fire detec- tion and extinguishing system, $4,475. The 421 C is a sophisticated and complicated airplane, and quite a bit of time is required to do a good job in preflight preparation. A mechanical rudder gust lock is optional. The en- gage/disengage handle is mounted on the tailcone, above the stabilizer, and is out of reach for average-size pilots; but the lock pin can be released by lifting the elevator or hauling back on the yoke. The cavernous nose and aft cabin baggage compartments provide loading flexibility, and a thorough weight-and-balance calculation should be accomplished before each flight. A well-equipped Golden Eagle can carry more than 2,OQOpounds of fuel, people and baggage; and the pilot must ensure that the airplane does not exceed the maximum certificated zero-fuel weight (6,733 pounds), maximum ramp weight (7,500), takeoff weight (7,450) or landing weight (7,200 pounds). There are two ways to start the en- gines. Standard procedure employs the seventh nozzle in the fuel-injection system. The throttle is cracked and the mixture control is placed in the aft, Ground Start position. The primer is activated for four to eight seconds and held while the starter is depressed. When rpm and fuel flow stabilize, the primer is released and the mixture con- trol advanced to full rich. This worked well for our evaluation airplane's left engine, but the right one for some rea- son preferred the alternative method. With the fuel mixture full rich, the primer and starter are activated together and released when the engine catches. 40· AUGUST1983 I was surprised by the agility the big airplane demonstrated on the ground: I had to pull the throttles all the way back to idle to avoid riding the brakes. The nosewheel steering system, which is operated by the rudder pedals, was adequate for all but the tightest taxi maneuvers. The pilot's information manual calls for full power, 39 inches and 2,235 rpm, to be applied before brake re- lease. However, when runway consid- erations are not crucial, wear and tear on the brakes and propellers can be avoided by stabilizing power at 32 inches, releasing the brakes and feed- ing in full power slowly and smoothly on the takeoff roll. Acceleration is brisk. An airspeed of 100 knots is recom- mended for the first 50 feet. Best rate- of-climb speed is 111 knots, which also is the best single-engine ROC speed. Recommended cruise-climb speeds are 115 to 140 knots at 32.5 inches and 1,900 rpm. The handbook provides time-, distance- and fuel-to-climb in· formation for 120 knots. I found this provides good performance, adequate engine cooling and good visibility over the sloping nose. Experienced 421 operators say the best way to manage the engines is to treat them with tender, loving care (this includes knowledgeable and re- spectful power management and a comprehensive program of routine maintenance) and to run them hard. Ideally, there should be only four power changes between takeoff and fi- nal approach: full power for initial climb; 32.5/1,900 for climb and cruise; 23/1,800 for descent; and 23/1,900 for initial approach. (According to Flight- Safety International, a propeller speed of 1,800 rpm can interfere with a glideslope signal.) Under standard conditions at a pres- sure altitude of 25,000 feet, 32.5/1,900 provides a true airspeed of 236 knots and a fuel flow of 257 pounds per hour. (Here I must hedge a bit as 1 found 1,800 rpm to provide a smoother and quieter flight with little change in performance.) At Flight Level 250, cabin altitude is maintained at a com- fortable 9,000 feet. With supplemental oxygen aboard, the airplane may be operated up to 30,000 feet. Cabin alti- tude up there is 11,950 feet. At 23/1,800 and 180 knots, the 421C descends about 1,110 fpm while burning about 166 pounds of fuel per hour. Leveling off and dropping 15 de- grees of flap provides an initial ap- proach speed of 120 knots. Pull off two inches of manifold pressure, and the airplane will carry that airspeed right down the glideslope. Standard proce- dure is to use full flaps, some power and 111 knots right into the flare. The importance of transition training cannot be overemphasized, especially to pilots used to flying lighter twins. The 421's handling qualities defy its size, and power management during approach is critical. On one approach, I inadvertently reverted to some Piper Seneca flying habits and bled too much power off too soon. The Golden Eagle acknowledged this indiscretion with a high sink rate. It took a lot of power to straighten things out. Pilot staffers flew N6787L on several trips of various stage lengths, in fair weather and in foul. We found the air- plane capable, comfortable, stable and exciting to fly. (Just walking up to the big, handsome airplane with keys in hand is enough to get the adrenaline pumping.) It also is a demanding air- plane. Taken separately, the various systems are straightforward and rela- tively simple to manage. Taken to- gether, the systems require a lot of thinking and planning. Initial training with FlightSafety comes with the air- plane (see "Dress Rehearsal," p. 42), and we believe strongly that time and money for regular recurrent training should be included in the airplane's operating budget. We have a couple of rather minor nits to pick with the airplane. One is that the otherwise excellent interior lighting system does not include a suitable map light for the pilots. The lights in the Fuel capacity, w/opt tdnks Oil capdcity, ea engine Baggage capacity, std Baggage capacity w /wing locker tdnks J,l00 Ib, 66.6 cu ft Performance Takeoff distance, ground roll Takeoff distdnce over 50-ft obst Accelerate/stop distdnce Accelerdte/go distance Max demonstrated crosswind component Rate of climb, sea level Single·engine ROC, sea level Cessna 421 C Golden Eagle Base price $489,250 Price as tested $662,175 AOPA Pilat Operations/Equipment Category·: IFR $575,000 to $650,000 AII-\\eather $665,000 to $692,000 Specifications 2 Teledyne Continental GTSIO-520-N 375 hp @ 2,235 rpm and 39 in Hg Recommended lBO 1,600 hr 1'IlJpellers McCauley three· blade, constant-speed, full-feathering, 90 in dia 36 ft 4.6 in 12 ft II in 41 it 1.5 in 215.02 sq ft 34.8 Ib/sq ft 9.9Ib/hp 6 to 8 15 ft 9.9 in 4 it 7 in 4 ft 2.9 in 4,668 Ib 5,375 Ib 7,5001b 2,832 Ib 2,1251b 1,5961b 72llb 7,4501b 7,200 Ib 6,733 Ib 1,280.01 Ib (l,236 Ib usable) 213.01 gal (206 gal usable) 1,62L2lb (1,572 Ib usable) 270.2 gal (262 gal usable) 14 qt 1,500 Ib, 82 cu ft 80 KIAS 100 KIAS 88 KIAS III KIAS II] KIAS ]5] KIAS 176 KIAS 146 KIAS 176 KIAS 176 KIAS 176 KIAS 20] KIAS 240 KIAS 86 KIAS 77 KIAS 105 KIAS 20,000 it 25,000 ft 20,000 it 25,000 it All sprcificathms arc based 011 lIlal/u!acturrr's calt-illatiolls. All }'l'rfor1l1aIlCt' fisures arc based tHi stalldard day, standard at1l1osjJhcrc, at sra kl'd al/tl sross l(!c;Sht, twlt'ss otht'nt';Sf I/otrd. 'Opt'ratiolls/Eqllipll/I'llt Catl'!:oril's an' defilled ill/1I111' 1983 Pilot, I'- 96. Tilt' prices rl'fleet the costs for equ;}'fI/t'llt n'C0l1W1Cl/ded to operate iu the listed catt'~or;fs. AOPA PILOT • 41 Crui,>e speed/Rangl' ",/45-min rsv, std fuel (fuel consumption, t"J engine) @70% po\ver, recommended lean 15,000 ft 210 kt/840 nm (246 pph/4J gph) 220 kt/865 nm (246 pph/41 gph) 231 kt/905 nm (246 pph/41 gph) @hOO{) power, recommended lean 15,000 it 196 kt/925 nm (2]4 pph/35.6 gph) 205 kt/960 nm (2]4 pph/35.6 gph) 214 kt/I,OOO nm (2]4 pph/35.6 gph) 1\"" op,'rating altitude 30,000 ft Single·engine sl'n'ice ceiling 14,900 ft Landing distdnce over 50·ft obst 2,300 ft Lan~ing distance, ground roll 725 it Limiting and Recommended Airspeeds Vme (f\.1in control w/ollt.> engine inoperative) Vsse (Min intentional onp· engine ino~ll'rati\'t.·) Vx (B,'st ,mgl,' of climb) Vy (Be'>! rate of climb) Vxse (Best single-engine angle of <limb) VY~l>(Be~t single-engine rate of climb) Va (Dt.'sign mJnl'u\'l'rin~) Vi" (Max thp "xtended) 15° 45° Vie (1\lax gedr extemi,-d) Vlo (M,,, gloM operdting) Extend Retract Vno (Max structural cruising) V,,,, (Never ex,','ed) VSI (Stall clean) Vso (Stdll in landing configuration) 1,795 ft 2,285 ft 3,630 ft 4,960 ft 17 kt 1,950 fpm 345 fpm Po\\'crplallts Length Height \Vingspan Wmg area Wing loading Power loading Seats Cabin length Cabin width Cabin height Empty weight Empty weight, as tested Max ramp weight Useful luad Useful load, as tested Payload w /std fuel Payload w/full fuel, as tested Max takeoff weight Max landing weight Zero fuel weight Fuel capacity, std cOtlti"ued pilots' overhead console are weak and distracting. We would like to see the overhead bulb made smaller and more powerful. Perhaps a smaller light also could be fitted under the yoke. We also did not feel comfortable with the instru- ments provided for leaning engine fueljair mixtures. The 421C has ex- haust gas temperature (EGT) gauges, which simply provide reference points for leaning. Although EGT gauges are less expensive and require less mainte- nance, we would prefer turbine inlet temperature (TIT) gauges, which pro- vide pilots more useful information. We encountered one incident that is worthy of mention. During a low, twi- light approach in a moderate rainfall, water clung to the windshield and se- verely distorted forward vision. Editor Ed Tripp was doing the flying at the time and managed to pick out enough visual cues to complete the circling ap- proach and to land. We suspect that the windshield had not been cleaned nor treated properly and was covered by an oily film (the 421 information manual states that only a cleaning so- lution of isopropyl alcohol and water and an aftertreatment of Turtle Wa~, a liquid automotive wax, should be used on an electric windshield). The chief pilots for two fastidious 421 oper- ators-Cessna's Air Transportation De- partment and Frederick Aviation in Maryland-said their windshields are kept adequately clean simply with wa- ter applied by the palm of the hand or with a clean, soft cloth. This also pre- vents inadvertent application of clean- ing agents and waxing compounds not suitable for the 421's windshield. In the past seven years, seven air- worthiness directives have been issued for the 421 C. The directives required GOLDEN FAGLE: DRESS REHfARSAL When the curtain rises, you'd better be ready. It is an unusually hot night; the OAT indi- cates ISA plus 15°C. The 421C is loaded to gross. The runway is only 4,000 ieet long, and there is a big hangar off the departure end. According to the pilot's iniormation manual. we should be airborne aiter using up about 2,100 feet of concrete. Rotation speed is 95 knots. The charts show 4,010 feet for accelerate/stop and (oh, lordy) 12,210 feet for accelerate/go. The manual indicates that I should be able to coax a 240-fpm climb on one engine. That is, if I do everything exactly right. No promises ex- pressed nor implied. Obstruction lights atop the hangar wink menacingly as I taxi the big piston twin into position on the runway. Okay, if I lose an engine before the gear comes up, I'll put her back down ... somewhere. (The parking lot on the side of the hangar looks to be clear.) If an engine quits after the gear is on its way up, we'll fly. I nudge the throttles forward and let the power stabilize at 32 inches manifold pres- sure. I glance at the instrument gauges. Ev- erything is in the green, so I ease the throt- tles to the stops and release the brakes. The airplane slingshots forward and the airspeed indicator comes alive: 70 ... 80 ... 90. I pull the nose 10 degrees above the horizon and snap up the gear .... The airplane lurches like a drunk and veers to the right. I stomp on the left rudder pedal and bring the nose down to the hori- zon, the wings level. Let's see now, dead foot-dead engine. Yup, it's the right one. I reach for the right throttle .... Too late. My ears are assaulted by the agonized sounds of a propeller ripping into the ground. Lights have stopped flashing by. I've crashed. My palms are sweating, my pulse is rac- ing and my thigh aches where I punched myself in contempt. Other than that, I am all right. I peer imploringly at the indifferent stars above and beg for another chance. A voin' replies, "No sweat. Here we go." I'm back on the runway centerline, and both engines are humming peacefully. The hangar lights are winking. I try again, and this time something in the annunciator panel lights up. No time to figure out what it is. I abort the takeoff with runway to spare. The hangar lights wink. I wink back. The voice is not finished with me yet. Far 42· AUGUST1983 the following: replacement of a fuel hose; inspection and repair of the windshield; reinforcement of seat struc- tures; inspection and repair of seat tracks; replacement of Aerosonic fuel- flow transducers; modification of the ARC 400B autopilot roll and pitch ac- tuators; and resetting the King KFC 200 autopilot roll slip clutch. Service diffi- culty reports during the past five years have cited problems with pressuriza- tion valves; alternators; rudder trim and flap retraction mechanisms; fuel pumps and fuel selectors; wing deice and propeller anti-ice systems; landing from it. The voice gives me a third chance, a fourth chance ... a ninth chance. Each time, I am challenged with unpleasantries. Engines fail before rotation, after rotation and before and after gear retraction. A fuel-flow indi- cator drops to zero. An oil temperature indi- cator zooms beyond red line. The annunci- ator panel lights up like a Christmas tree. Sometimes I do it right. Sometimes I crash. The voice is incessant. "Here we go." By now, I am shaking like an ELI antenna. The airplane is barely five feet above the runway when an engine fails. I fly it out, bring it around and land. The voice says, "Okay, lunch time." I glance at my copilot/training partner, a corporate pi- lot whose firm has traded in a 310 for a 421. My exploration of the period of maxi- mum exposure on takeoff has left him intro- spective. After lunch, it will be his turn. The voice is our simulator instructor. It is our second day in FlightSafety Internation- al's 421C simulator at the Cessna Learning Center if! Wichita. The day before, we prac- ticed steep -turns, stalls, takeoffs and land- ings. There also were a few Vmc demon- strations, as well as instrument approaches to minimums with one turning and one burning. Still to come are icing encounters, pressurization system failures, landing gear glitches, electrical system failures, runaway hydraulic systems and engine fires. Before the flight simulator, though, there is the classroom. For the first three-and-a- half days of the eight-day "Cessna CE-421C Pilot Initial Qualification" course, a cadre of FlightSafety instructors, armed with an arse- nal of visual teaching aids, drilled proce- dures, systems, limitations, systems and sys- tems into our heads. Our class-a corporate pilot from Louisiana, another from Minne- sota, a businessman/pilot from the Nether- lands and me-never was given the chance to become b'ored with Wichita's night life. In FlightSafety Intemational's Cessna Golden Eagle flight simulator, pilots can practice emergency procedures and explore performance limits in ways that would be impossible or potentially lethal to attempt in an airplane. gear; engine valves and rocker arms; magnetos; and exhaust and turbo- charger systems. It is important to mention that several of the reports noted improper maintenance as causes of the problems. More than 1,800 Golden Eagles have been delivered in the past 16 years. The only piston twin that matches the 421's size and performance is the Beech Duke. Out of curiosity, I took both airplanes on a paper 600-mile flight, using performance data from their operating handbooks. The Duke edged out the Golden Eagle by one There was too much homework for that. In addition to the 22 hours of classroom instruction, the four hours of familiarization in the procedures trainer (a mockup of the 421Cs cockpit) and the 15 hours (half in the left seat, half in the right), the course includes actual flight training "to profi- ciency." Most students are cut loose after two or three hours in the air. After the gru- eling sessions in the simulator, flying the real thing with everything working properly is a pleasurable anticlimax. After training with FlightSafety, I flew a 421C about 10 hours. It was a bit disap- oointing that nO glitches occurred, as I was brimming with useful information, spring- loaded and ready for anything. If skills are not used, they fade, however. There are many things that can be practiced safely in the simulator that would prove impossible or fatal to practice in an airplane. If I were flying a 421C regularly, I would visit Flight- minute, but the 421 burned 24 fewer pounds of fuel during the trip. Comparing the 421 with the Duke is an academic exercise, since the air- planes compete in different markets. The 421 is used mostly in corporate operations, while the Duke is a favorite among well-heeled private owners. Since it left the aerie, the Golden Ea- gle has dominated its territory. There are a few invaders in the works, namely Piper's Mojave and Aerostar 700P. ]t should prove to be a good bat- tle, but this time I am keeping that quarter, in my pocket. 0 Safety every six months, at least, to refresh my knowledge and sharpen my reflexes. How much does it cost? If you buy a 421C, Cessna will put you (or your pilot) and your copilot through FlightSafety initial training free of charge. If not; the cost for initial training is $3,350. For an annual con- tract price of $2,795, you can return to Wichita every four or six months for recur- rent training. This' takes three days and comprises nine hours of ground school and six hours in the 421C flight simulator. Taken at face value, these costs may seem high. But if you stack them up against the costs of owning and operating a 421C and the inestimable value of the people and property transported therein, it is very hard, indeed, to come up with a rational argu- ment against signing up. The company has a favorite saying: The best safety device in any aircraft is a well-trained pilot. The logic is bulletproof. -MML