Cessna Turbo 310R II

encountered unexpectedly. The list price of the Turbo 310R II in 1978 was $167,750. The addi- tional options on 87C, including a yaw damper and left wing locker fuel tank, make the original list price $195,107 and raise the empty weight an additional 233 pounds, to 3,956. The same model for 1980 is $188,850 without the options. More sophisticated avionics and radar would raise this to about $225,000. The result of the development of the Turbo 310 is a very capable, highly flexible aIrplane that is rela- tively demanding. It requires com- AOPA PILOT • 39 continued plete familiarity with its complex sys- tems, careful flight planning and loading to balance range, speed and payload considerations, and constant alertness on the part of the pilot. It is an airplane in which a copilot who is well-briefed would be a great help during high workload conditions; but the panel design largely precludes a helping hand, because it is designed as a single pilot system. Careful fuel calculations are neces- sary when any kind of a cabin load is to be carried. Total fuel capacity for 87C is 183 gallons; 50 in each main, 31.5 in each auxiliary and 20 in the single wing locker. A full load of fuel, 1,098 pounds, leaves 481 pounds of payload. Maximum ramp weight is 5,535 pounds; maximum takeoff weight is 5,500 and maxi- mum landing weight is 5,400. If one wants to consider payload over range, the zero fuel weight of 5,015 pounds has to be considered. That means a maximum cabin and baggage load of 1,059 pounds. Adding the maximum allowable 520 pounds of fuel, which must all be in the main tanks since only the mains can be used during anything but level flight, will enable an endurance of approximately two hours at the standard 65 percent Still sleek and vital-looking after twenty-five years the Cessna 310 also gives competitive performance. Pilot workload is high, though, partly due to panel layout. power setting used in this airplane, plus a 45-minute reserve. This pro- vides a still-air cruising radius of 370 nautical miles at 10,000 feet. Weight and balance must be calcu- lated carefully, including consider- ation of change during fuel burn. Loading is simplified with the large nose and aft cabin baggage bays and the two wing lockers in the rear of the engine nacelles. Calculation of balanced field length requirements is essential, too, particularly if loading approaches gross weight. Takeoff performance at 5,300 pounds versus 5,500 pounds is markedly different. Even on cool days, gross weight takeoff eats up a lot of runway; acceleration to best single-engine climb speed of 106 knots seems to take forever, as does gear retraction. If anything goes sour during this period, a pilot will be ex- tremely busy and should be concen- trating on two things: maintaining control and getting the airplane on the ground. Anywhere. All of these are not exclusive to the 310, of course. They apply to all air- planes and most particularly to mul- ti-engine aircraft. But the 310 is a complex aircraft; there is a lot to con- sider and a lot to do to operate it. 40 • MAY 1980 • Preflight is not particularly com- plex, but fuel levels must be checked carefully since line personnel often will miss the last few inches (in addi- tion to making sure they know which tanks are the mains). It may not look like much, but it is a great deal of fueL If the aircraft is not on a level surface, the imbalanced fuel load that will result can be a handful in Hight. The five tank arrangement on 87C means there are nine drain points to be checked. Gear uplocks should be checked carefully, which means crawling around to get a look into the gear wells, and the nose-gear scissor should be checked to ensure there is no play at the joints and fittings. It is essential to turn the master on and listen to ensure that the main fuel tank transfer pumps are work- ing. They pump fuel from the aft end of the tank to the pick-up point to keep the latter from unporting. The transfer pumps are no go items. Engine and turbocharger inspec- tion is not as good as it was in earlier 310s (which had large access doors but also a tricky oil dipstick arrange- ment that could allow oil to blowout if improperly secured). All of the caveats about the careful treatment of turbosupercharged en- gines apply to the Turbo 310, from start-up and warm-up through power application and reduction and cool down. The only way to approach the recommended 1,400-hour time be- tween overhaul (TBO) is to treat the system like the gold it is. If several pilots fly the same airplane, all must be thoroughly briefed and checked lest the carelessness or ham-handed- ness of one be visited upon another in the form of a nasty surprise. Starting is very simple if the rec- ommended techniques are followed, although great care must be taken to ensure that the engines are not over- primed. Backfiring and fires are still possible if raw fuel collects. The 310 requires a thorough checklist and strict adherence to it. Once all the head and leg work to prepare for flight has been taken care of, the pleasure can begin. Care must be taken with power application, and the engines must be warm. Once power has stabilized, ac- celeration through Vmc (80 knots) is fairly rapid at less than gross weight. After one transitions through Vyse and gear retraction, the airplane be- gins to fly solidly; but there is a lot to do, particularly if one is on an instru- ment departure. This is one airplane in which it pays to make the auto- pilot do the basic flying work while AOPA PILOT· 41 continued 3~R The 310 has sold well, but recent lack of development indicates Cessna may be turning attention elsewhere. Cessna Turbo 310R II Basic price $167,750 As tested $195,107 Specifications Engines 2 Teledyne Continental TSI0-520-B 285 hp @ 2,700 rpm 1,400 hr McCauley 0850334-15, 78 in (3 blade) Wing span 36 It 11 in Length 31 It 11.5 in Height 10 It 11.8 in Wing area 179 sq It Wing loading 30.73 Ib/sq It Power loading 9.65 Ib/hp Passengers and crew 6 Cabin length 147.5 in Cabin width 48.5 in Cabin height 50 in Empty weight 3,707 Ib Equipped empty weight (as tested) 3,956 Ib Maximum zero tuel weight 5,015 Ib Usetul load (as tested) 1,200 Ib Payload with full fuel (basic aircralt) 1,193 Ib Payload with full fuel (as tested) 481 Ib Gross weight 5,500 Ib Maximum landing weight 5,161 Ib Fuel capacity (standard) 102 gal (100 usable) 207 gal (203 usable) Oil capacity per engine 13 qt Baggage capacity 950 Ib (65.6 cu It) total Each wing locker 120 Ib (9.25 cu ft) Alt cabin 360 Ib (26.1 cu It) Nose compartment 350 Ib (21 cu It) 195 kt 177 kt (with 45-min reserve) 100 gal/203 gal 519 nm/1,242 nm 491 nm/1,140 nm (with 45-min reserve) 100 gal/203 gal 545 nml 1,290 nm 515 nml 1,200 nm (with 45·min reserve) 100 gal/203 gal 20,000 It 570 nml 1,360 nm 10,000 It 540 nml 1,270 nm Maximum operating altitude 27,400 It Single· engine service ceiling 17,200 It Vs 1 (Stall speed with no lIaps) 97 kt Vso (Stall speed with full flaps) 72 kt Vmc (Minimum control speed with critical engine inoperative) Vyse (Best single-engine rate'ot-climb speed) Vxse (Best single-engine angle-ot-climb speed) 98 kt VIe (Maximum flap-extended speed) 139 kt Vie (Maximum landing-gear-extended speed) Va (Design maneuvering speed) Landing distance (ground roll) 93 kt (1.3 Vso) Landing over 50 It you do all the rest of the work. Recommended climb power set- tings of 2,350 rpm per 32 inches of manifold pressure (lean to 100 pounds per hour fuel flow) and 125 knots produces an average climb rate of 1,000 to 1,200 fpm. Maximum performance climb (full power and 106 knots) can produce rates in ex- cess of 1,700 fpm. Single-engine rate of climb in this configuration at gross weight is 370 fpm, if everything else is working right and the pilot is very smooth and precise. Noise level with takeoff power is quite high. The first reduction, to normal climb power, helps a lot. Re- duction to cruise power is a blessing by comparison, although I have found it necessary to make a great deal of use of the propeller syncro- phaser because of propeller beat against the nose cone. Once established at cruise, with all the systems operating normally, the 310 is a pleasure. The cabin is big and wide. The view out the wind- shield is panoramic. The big, flat na- celles and the canoe-like tip tanks still exude that old macho. If you squint, you can almost pretend you're flying a Lear. But there is always work to be done. Fuel management is the biggest task at cruise. The recommended technique is to burn the mains down to 150 pounds (the quantity gauges 42 • MAY 1980 Recommended TBO Propellers Fuel capacity (w/opt tanks) Performance Takeoff distance (ground roll) Takeoff over 50 It Accelerate 1 stop distance Rate of climb (gross weight) SL 1,306 It 1,662 It 3,250 It 1,700 tpm Single-engine rate of climb (gross weight) Maximum level speed (16,000 It) Cruise speed (75% power) 20,000 It 10,000 It Cruise speed (65% power) 20,000 It 10,000 It Cruise speed (55% power) 25,000 It 10,000 It Range @ 75% cruise 20,000 It 10,000 ft Range @ 65% cruise 20,000 It 10,000 It Range @ 55% cruise 390 Ipm 237 kt 223 kt 201 kt 204 kt 185 kt 80 kt 106 kt 138 kt 148 kt 640 It 1,790 It • •