Navajo Guys

I don't really enjoy the Navajo. It's like a truck. It'll get the job done but it drives like crap. Plus they're hard to start for a while and the fuel system is annoying. I'll take 2x the climb rate in a Baron, thank you very much.
 
LeonPhelps said:
I've always had an itch for the Navajo. Anybody have a comparison to the C402?
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I flew a "B" model 402 for a handful of hours, and it was a piece. Doggy as hell, a little bit slower than the Navajo and while I didn't get it into ice, a friend of mine who I worked with did routinely and said it was worse than the caravan. On the plus side, the cockpit of the 402 was laid out incredibly well - Cessna is good at that - and it had excellent visibility for some reason, and was super easy to fly. I'd like to fly one for a good 500hrs to really be knowledgeable about it, but that probably won't happen.
 
cstewart6 said:
I don't really enjoy the Navajo. It's like a truck. It'll get the job done but it drives like crap. Plus they're hard to start for a while and the fuel system is annoying. I'll take 2x the climb rate in a Baron, thank you very much.
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Hard to start? I'd say the Navajo is the simplest "large" engined piston airplane I've ever started. If the oil temp is roughly 100 - 50, prime for one second (push the throttles up and then pull them back down), if the temp is cooler than 50, prime for 3 seconds or so, above 100 don't prime at all. Starts pretty easily even on the coldest days. On warm days it can take a little more, but so far I've always thought it started quite easily.
 
cstewart6 said:
I don't really enjoy the Navajo. It's like a truck. It'll get the job done but it drives like crap. Plus they're hard to start for a while and the fuel system is annoying. I'll take 2x the climb rate in a Baron, thank you very much.
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You must be doing it wrong. I never had a problem getting one started hot or cold. When all else fails, flood it, and do a flood start.
 
I mean, I haven't had an issue starting one in a while, but some engines are trickier than others. Do you guys play with the aux fuel pump breakers at all during start up?
 
z987k said:
Can't tell ya how many times it would have been faster to take a horse drawn cart than a 208.
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Realistically speaking, they're not that different in speed. In the Caravan I did 140 or so loaded up, 155 empty. In the Navajo, at max gross with the Vgs, or hell, even at 7000, best I'm doing in cruise is 150 maybe 160 if I'm super tail heavy and don't have to climb to the moon and am lightly loaded. So, in an empty Navajo vs. a Full Caravan I'm truing out at 170 as opposed to 155, so it takes an extra 6 minutes to get there on an hour flight in caravan than in the Navajo - and I also carried roughly twice as much as a full navajo. While I like flying the Navajo better, in terms of utility, it's no match for the cost or reliability of the "van."
 
ppragman said:
Realistically speaking, they're not that different in speed. In the Caravan I did 140 or so loaded up, 155 empty. In the Navajo, at max gross with the Vgs, or hell, even at 7000, best I'm doing in cruise is 150 maybe 160 if I'm super tail heavy and don't have to climb to the moon and am lightly loaded. So, in an empty Navajo vs. a Full Caravan I'm truing out at 170 as opposed to 155, so it takes an extra 6 minutes to get there on an hour flight in caravan than in the Navajo - and I also carried roughly twice as much as a full navajo. While I like flying the Navajo better, in terms of utility, it's no match for the cost or reliability of the "van."
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Ya, unless there's ice involved. Then you take a max gross hit, and if there's altitude for IFR as well, you're likely never getting there. Hence the horse drawn cart being faster.
 
8550 with ice still gets you something like 2500lbs or more iirc. Now, the Van certainly doesn't like ice, but it'll still fly in it. The next generation van comes out soon hope I get to fly one:
http://www.cessna.com/NewReleases/New/NewReleaseNum-1192459164882.html
OSHKOSH, Wis., July 23, 2012 — Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) announced the latest innovation in the Cessna Caravan product line, the Cessna Grand Caravan EX.
The Grand Caravan EX offers increased horsepower (HP) which improves the aircraft’s performance in current mission profiles and allows for missions to extend into regions of the world with higher altitudes and higher temperatures.
Powered by the new Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-140 engine, the available power in the Grand Caravan EX has increased almost 25 percent, from 675 HP to 867 HP. This improvement boosts the aircraft’s performance, including a 350 foot reduction in takeoff roll, a 20 percent improvement in the rate of climb, and a 10-12 knot cruise speed improvement over average.
“We listened carefully to our customers when designing the EX, and we think they will be pleased with the outcome,” said Lannie O’Bannion, Cessna business leader for the Caravan. “The Grand Caravan EX will climb faster, and have the power and capacity to take on missions in parts of the world with higher elevations and higher temperatures while still delivering on utility. It’s what the Caravan has always been about, and the new enhancements make the Grand Caravan EX an indispensible tool for customers who operate in diverse areas of the world.”
“We anticipate continued success for the Caravan in business and personal use,” continued O’Bannion. “The Caravan has proven to be an incredibly reliable and versatile aircraft. This significant increase in performance not only improves performance in current operations, it will make the Grand Caravan EX a fantastic solution for customers and operations in new markets and remote locations. Simply put, this aircraft places more of the world within reach.”
The EX is the latest example of Cessna’s efforts to place more innovative products in the aviation marketplace. For the first time since the Grand Caravan was introduced in 1994, the Grand Caravan EX can be modified for amphibious missions with floats provided by Wipaire, Inc. The avionics suite will remain the proven Garmin G1000, the executive “Oasis” interior will be available for the EX, and exterior lights are being moved to longer-life LEDs. “We kept the customer in mind throughout the entire development process on this aircraft”, said O’Bannion. “While providing more range and power, we have also delivered a new product that will have a minimal impact on direct operating costs.”
Entry into service for the Grand Caravan EX is expected to be in the fourth quarter 2012.
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ppragman said:
Realistically speaking, they're not that different in speed. In the Caravan I did 140 or so loaded up, 155 empty. In the Navajo, at max gross with the Vgs, or hell, even at 7000, best I'm doing in cruise is 150 maybe 160 if I'm super tail heavy and don't have to climb to the moon and am lightly loaded. So, in an empty Navajo vs. a Full Caravan I'm truing out at 170 as opposed to 155, so it takes an extra 6 minutes to get there on an hour flight in caravan than in the Navajo - and I also carried roughly twice as much as a full navajo. While I like flying the Navajo better, in terms of utility, it's no match for the cost or reliability of the "van."
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Why is your Navajo so slow? That's 10-15 knots slower than I see in ours.

Sent via teletype
 
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