Questions on the 421C

avi8tor1983

avi8tor1983

Well-Known Member
I just recently got an interview to fly Air ambulance/charter in a 421 allthough I have no time in them and I'm not sure what to expect. I was wondering if anyone knew where to locate a POH online for free? Maybe some other things I should know? Pressurazation systems? All that kind of stuff. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.
 
People will freak out if you move the throttles any faster than a grandma crossing Broadway with her walker. It will spend much more time in mx than in the air. All of the above is based on a combination of .4 flight time and lots of making stuff up.
 
avi8tor1983 said:
I just recently got an interview to fly Air ambulance/charter in a 421 allthough I have no time in them and I'm not sure what to expect. I was wondering if anyone knew where to locate a POH online for free? Maybe some other things I should know? Pressurazation systems? All that kind of stuff. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.
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Do you have any time in a 310, 340, or 414? If you do and are comfortable in them you'll feel right at home (except for the geared motors).

The Continental GTSIO-520's always seem to be a topic of discussion. Treat them nicely and hopefully this company has good maintenance.

I've never been impressed with the climb rate but the Golden Eagle will eventually claw its way up to the low flight levels if you're going for a longer haul. It's also cool to see the turbos glowing through the cowling vents after you've set the mixture for cruise when you're in the upper teens or higher.

Oh yeah, the props have a huge diameter. They create quite a lot of drag when one is windmilling. Speaking of that (and this has been a topic of discussion around here) a lot of people advocate always landing a 421 with a little power because you don't want the air driving the props, which then drive the gearbox which is then connected to the crankshaft of the motor.
 
I flew a 414(not geared engines)and yes MOVE THE THROTTLES SLOWLY, I can't remember exact numbers but the power lost on the waste gate was beyond impressive. ( I was told in the area of 70% power gone, but never confirmed)

anyone else have more experience on this, I didn't fly it that much.
 
AviatorGator said:
The Continental GTSIO-520's always seem to be a topic of discussion. Treat them nicely and hopefully this company has good maintenance.


Oh yeah, the props have a huge diameter. They create quite a lot of drag when one is windmilling. Speaking of that (and this has been a topic of discussion around here) a lot of people advocate always landing a 421 with a little power because you don't want the air driving the props, which then drive the gearbox which is then connected to the crankshaft of the motor.
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Be gentle.

If the plane starts shaking, add power. ;) That's what it feels like when the props are driving the engines. Those motors are $55k each for remans with a core. Stage cooling is essential so you aren't making huge power changes. I believe the driving is why cases get cracked. Not good.

Enjoy!
 
deadstick said:
Be gentle.

If the plane starts shaking, add power. ;) That's what it feels like when the props are driving the engines. Those motors are $55k each for remans with a core. Stage cooling is essential so you aren't making huge power changes. I believe the driving is why cases get cracked. Not good.

Enjoy!
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This sounds like a pain in the ass and very stressful.
 
AviatorGator said:
Do you have any time in a 310, 340, or 414? If you do and are comfortable in them you'll feel right at home (except for the geared motors).

The Continental GTSIO-520's always seem to be a topic of discussion. Treat them nicely and hopefully this company has good maintenance.

I've never been impressed with the climb rate but the Golden Eagle will eventually claw its way up to the low flight levels if you're going for a longer haul. It's also cool to see the turbos glowing through the cowling vents after you've set the mixture for cruise when you're in the upper teens or higher.

Oh yeah, the props have a huge diameter. They create quite a lot of drag when one is windmilling. Speaking of that (and this has been a topic of discussion around here) a lot of people advocate always landing a 421 with a little power because you don't want the air driving the props, which then drive the gearbox which is then connected to the crankshaft of the motor.
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I have no time in any cessna 400 or 300 series. All my multi time consists of some B58 and 55 time, a ton of Seminole and some Aztec time. So basicly don't don't shock cool this thing huh? haha. Well I appriciate all the info on the engines but how dose this thing fly? I have to do a part 135 Fed checkride in this thing every six months and for my initial I'm just trying to load up on as much info as possible. If anyone knows where I can find more info on the engines and POH stuff I'd appreciate it. I seem to have a hard time finding anything. Thank y'all again for the help on this subject.
 
I fly a 414A Ram V with liquid cooled engines...what a good plane. It has the same power of the 421 but on a lighter airframe AND with engines you can chop and drop since it is liquid cooled.

As for studying the plane for the interview...dont bother. They will not expect you to know a thing about an airplane that you have never flown. Getting a few war stories about it though is a good way to get excited about a potential job.
 
On the 421, the engines are to be treated gently! (I have 150-200 hrs in them).

The airplane flies great when it's taken care of...no sudden movements of the throttles!

Cruise power is 32.5" MP and 1750-1850 RPM's and you'll want to be at 26" MP for approach/landing. I would typically start working the throttles back (1 inches/2 mins) about 15 mins from when I expected to start the approach. If you baby the engines, they'll run to TBO.

It helps if the 421 you're flying has the STC speed brakes/spoilers.

On landing, do leave alittle power in, or else you'll smack it on...and give yourself a good 4 mins for the engines/turbo's to cool down.

For a "hot start", put your mixtures to full rich...start the engines with the throttle full open...as it cranks bring the throttle to just above idle. Sounds strange, but the GTSIO engines don't like hot starts and you can wear down your starter.

Keep atleast 11/12 quarts of oil in the engine, don't let it go below 10 (POH stats 9).

When I was taught to fly the 421, our procedure was to rotate 95/100 kts and maintain ground effect till blue line (111 kts), this gives you a small window should you have an engine failure to put it back down. At blue line, bring the gear up and you're committed. The 421 doesn't fly all that great on one engine...once you mix in heavy/hot/humid/high...it might not.

It's a very stable aircraft for flying in instrument conditions and handles ice fairly well (I've never had an issue in it, and I learned to fly in icing conditions in the 421).
 
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