Beech Duchess - Loved it!

hook_dupin said:
Man... I remember wanting to see something on the ground I was nearly over while in a C-172. Just like pilots would do in the F-15E, I rolled in about 90 degrees of bank and put in a boot of top rudder. Instead of this smooth ground check, it turned into a horrible slip to a dive that scared the crap out of the guy I was flying with. Turns out GA flying is its own skill-set, and a bucket-ton of other types of experience didn't make me a good GA aviator.
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I love it!! I actually do a variant of that sometimes, but I can completely picture that whole event.

-Fox
 
That's pretty much what our preflight was like. I told him if we lost one on take-off, it was his stick. He said, "no, you keep it, maintain runway heading if you can, there's a farmer that is kind to unannounced guests if you can make it over the Interstate". That is a pretty specific procedure.
 
Pilot Fighter said:
I was surprised to find that the Duchess didn't have a synchronizer. I synched with my ears but second-guessed myself when I looked at the mis-calibrated tachs.

In 6500 hours (S-3 Viking, King Air, Super King, Hawker 800, Hawker 4000) I don't think I have ten hours of twin recip time. Thus, the reason for my post. I didn't think sharing an embarrassing tidbit would invite a snarky comment. It was clear to me that without my fancy toys, I was lost for a moment and not afraid to share. Tough audience. Be sure to tip your waitress or bartender.
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No I was genuinly curious. I have never flown a prop that could be synced with the rpm gauge. That includes tprops with syncronizers and phasers.
 
z987k said:
No I was genuinly curious. I have never flown a prop that could be synced with the rpm gauge. That includes tprops with syncronizers and phasers.
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You don't synch with the tach, but they should be close. It's a checklist item. In my case, I synched perfectly by ear the first time. Saw the tachs weren't even close and second-guessed myself, thinking I hit some other sweet spot that sounded and felt right. I figured I would get them closer using the tach and then try to synch again. My buddy asked me what the hell I was doing before telling me the tachs were way off. First, I hadn't flown a prop in years. Second, I hadn't flown a twin recip in a decade. Third, I had never seen a twin without a synchro of some sort.

I thought it was kind of funny. I also have a problem with my washing machine dancing across the floor.
 
Very cool. I got my commercial in a duchess, awesome plane! I always wanted to try the Baron but I never got the chance.
 
In the way-back machine, beech took a duchess to Langley and did enough spin testing that, had they done it with the FAA, would have allowed the type to achieve utility category approval for spins under part 23.

/devils advocate ;)
 
Did all my multi training in a duchess, from private multi up to ATP. Good little twin trainer. Have yet to ball up the Chieftain after learning in the duchess so maybe that says something.
 
Apophis said:
Everyone knows the purpose of a light twin's second engine is to carry you to the scene of the accident. :):eek:
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I lost an engine in a Seminole, somewhere V210 along the south rim of the Grand Canyon, just west of Tuba City one night. We started at 11,000 and with just one O-360, we were able to drift down to 8000 MSL (and I don't want to think how low AGL) and make it into GCN. It wasn't pretty, but it worked.

hook_dupin said:
Man... I remember wanting to see something on the ground I was nearly over while in a C-172. Just like pilots would do in the F-15E, I rolled in about 90 degrees of bank and put in a boot of top rudder. Instead of this smooth ground check, it turned into a horrible slip to a dive that scared the crap out of the guy I was flying with. Turns out GA flying is its own skill-set, and a bucket-ton of other types of experience didn't make me a good GA aviator.
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When I was teaching in the Seminole my first "military" student was an VT ANG F16 guy getting is ATP rating. I'd been warned ahead of time that Viper drivers like to over rotate in GA aircraft, so I told him to only rotate to my thumbs, which were about 3 inches back from the yoke. He did a really nice job in following those instructions and I was so proud of myself for averting disaster that I didn't pay attention as well as I should. I looked down for a second to write our off time on my knee board and when I looked up we were going through about 60 degrees of bank. I grabbed the plane (assuming we'd blown an engine) but had no problem leveling it. After I started breathing again I asked him what he was doing and he said "turning crosswind". I asked about standard rate turns and what not and he just looked at me blankly. His description of a crosswind turn was "roll 90* and pull". Obviously that won't work in a GA airplane and I asked him to use the turn coordinator, which he had to think really hard to remember what looked like as he said he only used it in a T37 and was advised it didn't really work well.
 
Might just be the constant speed prop on the SEMI but at or below the semi's single engine service ceiling I've noticed it still seems to have a little more horse than a C172 with the same engine. Comparative climb sucks, but straight and level I've noticed it pulls about 5 knots faster cleaned up, maybe slightly faster as we get lower down.

Probably mostly the constant speed prop though.
 
Derg said:
Hater.

You know, I actually preferred the Seminole. The Duchess reminded me of a "Twin Sierra"
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I did all of my multi training in the Seminole. I like it better than other light twins I've flown. It's pretty forgiving too; counter rotating props, so no critical engine. Plus, its Vmc is crazy low.
 
I spent a bunch of time in the right seat of a Duchess. I loved the plane! Truly a pilot's plane, it has wonderful control harmony, and a whole bunch more room in the cockpit. Just before I left we picked up a Seminole. What a POS! By the books, they should have been almost identical. Dimensions are within inches of each other, V-speeds within 5 kts. I don't know what Piper did wrong, but the Duchess had single engine climb charts, and the Seminole didn't...
 
mikecweb said:
Did my multi in a Seminole which apparently we call Semis now. For the price Riddle charged me we shoulda been flying Barons which would actually teach you how to fly a twin.
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$120/hr back in the day! ;)
 
Hammertime said:
I spent a bunch of time in the right seat of a Duchess. I loved the plane! Truly a pilot's plane, it has wonderful control harmony, and a whole bunch more room in the cockpit. Just before I left we picked up a Seminole. What a POS! By the books, they should have been almost identical. Dimensions are within inches of each other, V-speeds within 5 kts. I don't know what Piper did wrong, but the Duchess had single engine climb charts, and the Seminole didn't...
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Must have been an older model? Our Semi's have single engine climb charts.
 
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