Caravan Jump Pilot

MNFlyboy

MNFlyboy

Well-Known Member
Ok, so I know that this is for the OOTSK's but I figure some of you Van drivers can help me out on this.

I'm training in on the 208 and 208B for a skydiving company. We're driving the -114A engine, and that only matters for the power settings I'm about to mention.

On Takeoff, with a full load of jumpers and about 400lbs of gas, I set my takeoff elevator trim to the most nose downward setting in the white dashed area as indicated next to the trim wheel. However, with 20 flaps, I find after takeoff, I have to considerably push forward to keep the nose down and accelerate to 85kts to go to flaps 10, and 90 kts to go to flaps up. Is it a bad idea to roll the wheel two rolls nose down so that I don't have to push on the nose so much in order to get the flaps up? Or is it a big no-no to takeoff with the trim indicator outside of the white hashed area?

Other than that, flying the van has been fun, I'm going to enjoy this summer job for sure!:cool:
 
I envy you so much.

My life dream (I'm dead serious) is to fly a caravan for a living doing cargo. preferrably early morning or late night

Jumpers would work as well... or island hopping...

but it has to be in a Van
 
only downside is that MinneSNOWta is not a year round jump friendly environment so November-April I gotta find something else to do, or just fly south for the winter, not that I'd be too opposed to that idea . . . .
 
MNFlyboy said:
Ok, so I know that this is for the OOTSK's but I figure some of you Van drivers can help me out on this.

I'm training in on the 208 and 208B for a skydiving company. We're driving the -114A engine, and that only matters for the power settings I'm about to mention.

On Takeoff, with a full load of jumpers and about 400lbs of gas, I set my takeoff elevator trim to the most nose downward setting in the white dashed area as indicated next to the trim wheel. However, with 20 flaps, I find after takeoff, I have to considerably push forward to keep the nose down and accelerate to 85kts to go to flaps 10, and 90 kts to go to flaps up. Is it a bad idea to roll the wheel two rolls nose down so that I don't have to push on the nose so much in order to get the flaps up? Or is it a big no-no to takeoff with the trim indicator outside of the white hashed area?

Other than that, flying the van has been fun, I'm going to enjoy this summer job for sure!:cool:
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Set the trim wherever you need it. We have several caravans and the trim setting for takeoff seems to be a little different for each of them. Have fun with the turbine suburban.
 
MNFlyboy said:
On Takeoff, with a full load of jumpers and about 400lbs of gas, I set my takeoff elevator trim to the most nose downward setting in the white dashed area as indicated next to the trim wheel. However, with 20 flaps, I find after takeoff, I have to considerably push forward to keep the nose down and accelerate to 85kts to go to flaps 10, and 90 kts to go to flaps up. Is it a bad idea to roll the wheel two rolls nose down so that I don't have to push on the nose so much in order to get the flaps up? Or is it a big no-no to takeoff with the trim indicator outside of the white hashed area?
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Don't get too wraped up in the fact that the Caravan has a turbine engine, you fly it like every other Cessna.

Set the trim wherever you need for a smooth take off. Since it's a jump plane, it's probably bent all out of proper trim anyway.

If you can't beat a tandem load to the ground, you must surrender your man card imeadiatly.
 
elmetal said:
I envy you so much.

My life dream (I'm dead serious) is to fly a caravan for a living doing cargo. preferrably early morning or late night

Jumpers would work as well... or island hopping...

but it has to be in a Van
Click to expand...

Since the Van is your dream, I just wanted to make sure that you know there is a van that flys everyday hauling blood samples, out of Gainesville,FL.
 
vandriver said:
Since the Van is your dream, I just wanted to make sure that you know there is a van that flys everyday hauling blood samples, out of Gainesville,FL.
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Sure do! Lifesouth correct? I think I may have spoken to the guy who flew that, although that may not have been him (it was here on JC I believe, but I don't wanna throw his name out there in case he doesn't want to be known for whatever reason)

From my time there it looked like it flew at night and got back in shortly after sunrise

Would be a fun gig, but I doubt I have the mins (not that I live in Gainesville anymore, but any excuse to go back!)
 
USMCmech said:
Don't get too wraped up in the fact that the Caravan has a turbine engine, you fly it like every other Cessna.
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Except in the ice. Treat it like it don't got no protection. Talked to a Baron Aviation guy today. He had to divert after 40 miles. He picked up 1/4 in 3 minutes. At that rate, he knew he was going to be in trouble and diverted. Picked up 2 inches by the time he landed.

The TKS systems FedEx is putting on should help with the icing system, however, I don't think many other operators are going to buy this STC for their Caravans which is a shame.
 
No matter what you fly in the GA world, icing is not a monster to play with. I've tested it too many times in a Mooney with no protection, but always had an out. I never went into forcasted, but I got it at 14k over Arizona once in the summer, and a few other times. TKS works well, except when the hoses come off the inputs to the wings, too. found that one out after the fact.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, just don't go trying to kill yourself.
 
Set the elevator trim inside the takeoff range, add a bit of right rudder trim then add 1600lbs of torque and wait until the aircraft starts flying by itself... don't even need to rotate really. Can't get a whole lot smoother than that.

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
 
SpiraMirabilis said:
Set the elevator trim inside the takeoff range, add a bit of right rudder trim then add 1600lbs of torque and wait until the aircraft starts flying by itself... don't even need to rotate really. Can't get a whole lot smoother than that.

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
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Except he's flying the -114a with a max torque of 1865 instead of 1658.
 
kiloalpha said:
Except in the ice. Treat it like it don't got no protection. Talked to a Baron Aviation guy today. He had to divert after 40 miles. He picked up 1/4 in 3 minutes. At that rate, he knew he was going to be in trouble and diverted. Picked up 2 inches by the time he landed.
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The ice protection on the Caravan is there to buy you time to get out, nothing more, nothing less. Which is exactly the same as any other light airplane, 210, Bonanza, Mooney, 340, Seneca, ect. So I stand by my statment that you don't treat a 208 any different than another Cessna.

In the past many operators acted like since it has a PT-6, you could launch into or camp out in ice all night long. No propeller airplane can do that. So now it has a reputation of not being able to handle ice. I have found that it does just as good as any other light airplane with boots.

I don't have any experiance with TKS on any airplane, so I can't comment on that.
 
USMCmech said:
The ice protection on the Caravan is there to buy you time to get out, nothing more, nothing less. Which is exactly the same as any other light airplane, 210, Bonanza, Mooney, 340, Seneca, ect. So I stand by my statment that you don't treat a 208 any different than another Cessna.

In the past many operators acted like since it has a PT-6, you could launch into or camp out in ice all night long. No propeller airplane can do that. So now it has a reputation of not being able to handle ice. I have found that it does just as good as any other light airplane with boots.

I don't have any experiance with TKS on any airplane, so I can't comment on that.
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I can see how you can think that... I would like to know how some FLX guys think of their 210's with TKS. When I flew the Aero Commander with TKS, it handled the ice with absolutely no problem. Even in severe icing, I felt comfortable in it. Freezing rain, no problem for it. The only real drawback to it was the spray bar windshield. Blurred your vision no matter what, and you had to keep it off, couldn't just shed the ice on the descent or whatever.

So I disagree, as long as your tank is full when you take-off, you can stay in the ice as long as you have fluid.
 
kiloalpha said:
So I disagree, as long as your tank is full when you take-off, you can stay in the ice as long as you have fluid.
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Everyone who has flown a TKS bird has told me it is MUCH better than boots.

However that said, I would not willingly stay in ice in ANY airplane with ANY deice system. If you can't get out or you are transitioning an area, that is one thing, but camping out is another.
 
USMCmech said:
Everyone who has flown a TKS bird has told me it is MUCH better than boots.

However that said, I would not willingly stay in ice in ANY airplane with ANY deice system. If you can't get out or you are transitioning an area, that is one thing, but camping out is another.
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TKS is much better than boots. Having flown both the Caravan and the Aero Commander, I will say without a doubt in my mind that TKS trumps boots any day of the week.

I agree with KA about being able to stay in icing conditions much longer with TKS. In the winter I flew behind TKS, I never felt uncomfortable in any icing conditions I encountered. This included flying my entire route in icing conditions with the TKS running and not seeing any ice accumulation other than the unprotected surfaces of the airframe.

I also agree with you about not staying in any icing conditions in airplanes with deice systems. Therefore I think it is important to point out that TKS is less of a deice system and more of an anti ice system. While TKS does have deice capabilities, it is primarily designed to be used prior to entering icing conditions and keep the ice from accumulating rather than removing ice after accumulation.
 
mogley68 said:
Except he's flying the -114a with a max torque of 1865 instead of 1658.
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I am flying the same 1865 torque too, but all the fedex caravans have a "fire me" light that will light up (and stay lit until cleared by maintenance) anytime you exceed any limitation, so I don't push it all the way up. In any event if you push it up to 1600, by the time you rotate it will inch up to nearly 1700 or so due to the aerodynamic effects on the prop.
 
SpiraMirabilis said:
I am flying the same 1865 torque too, but all the fedex caravans have a "fire me" light that will light up (and stay lit until cleared by maintenance) anytime you exceed any limitation, so I don't push it all the way up. In any event if you push it up to 1600, by the time you rotate it will inch up to nearly 1700 or so due to the aerodynamic effects on the prop.
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Who are you flying the FedEx Van for? I flew for CSA out of SAW about 4 years ago.
 
elmetal said:
I envy you so much.

My life dream (I'm dead serious) is to fly a caravan for a living doing cargo. preferrably early morning or late night

Jumpers would work as well... or island hopping...

but it has to be in a Van
Click to expand...

I get the wanting to fly freight , but any specific reason you want to do it early morning or late night?
 
A150K said:
I get the wanting to fly freight , but any specific reason you want to do it early morning or late night?
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Because it's peaceful as anything flying in the morning/night

I do like flying during the day, but my stress level is 0 at sunrise. I love going out to the airport at 5am and preflighting and everything to takeoff before sunrise.




Maybe I'm just a weirdo
 
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