When doing turbine transition, similar aircraft or completely different?

inventor

Well-Known Member
Just daydreaming, but if transitioning from piston to turbine...
Would it be a better idea to go to a completely different aircraft, or to go from one you're type certified in and transition to its turbine version?

For example, a Piper Navajo Chieftain piston twin to a Piper Cheyenne, same aircraft but twin turboprop.

Better to transition to turboprop or jet?
 
Just daydreaming, but if transitioning from piston to turbine...
Would it be a better idea to go to a completely different aircraft, or to go from one you're type certified in and transition to its turbine version?

For example, a Piper Navajo Chieftain piston twin to a Piper Cheyenne, same aircraft but twin turboprop.

Better to transition to turboprop or jet?

It doesn't matter. If you can get the turbine engine started without overtemping it, you're on easy street. I routinely fly in piston twins with very experienced jet pilots who have very little piston aircraft time, and they generally hate engine management. Cowl flaps, mixtures, CHTs, shock cooling, vapor lock, and (usually) primers all go away. Fly a turbofan and so does the prop lever. It's nearly impossible to overtemp or overspeed most modern turbine engines. I'd say the transition from plane to plane is more a matter of the pilot to vehicle interface than how similar the airframes look. Moving from a 170 knot aircraft to a 300 knot aircraft is a significant event that requires you to know how to push the buttons and work the systems.
 
I'm not clear what you mean by "type certified". You wouldn't be "type certified" in a Chieftain or Cheyenne. In fact I cant think of many piston airplanes that require a type rating that also have a turbine version other than the DC3/BT67.

However, it's generally so much easier to manage a turbine engine vs. a piston. As far as speeds, if you're talking about the same airframe with different engines--they're both going to fly the approaches at the same speeds. Who cares about cruise speeds, other than descent planning and not exceeding 250 below 10? I think that you will find it a very easy transition.

Good luck.
 
I don't get the issue with this transition, airlines, especially regional's take only piston people and with in 6 weeks turn them into jet pilots all the time very successfully. Its a plane, it flys the same, just faster.
 
I don't get the issue with this transition, airlines, especially regional's take only piston people and with in 6 weeks turn them into jet pilots all the time very successfully. Its a plane, it flys the same, just faster.
Yep. The numbers get bigger and there's some more effluvia to worry about, but if you are a good pilot with a certain amount of adaptability, none of this should be a big deal.

The most complicated airplane I flew was a turboprop and that was tied with certain cabin-class multiengine piston twins. The workload in some of those cabin-class pistons was higher because it was you and you as the crew, not you and Bubba.
 
Back
Top