Help with a Caravan.......

PT6-114A · Post by **PT6-114A** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 5:13 pm

I am going to be doing a ground school for the Caravan in a couple of weeks. I am looking for some info from guys that have been on it for some time. I know it is not a hard plane but there must be some of those "tid bits" of info that make you say "well I never knew that"
It is a recurent class and I thought that rather than reading from the FS Book for 8 hours this would help pass the time. I know of a few but any help would be good.

Thanks PT6

Dockjock · Post by **Dockjock** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 5:27 pm

Keep some fat elastics wrapped around the yoke. Then, when you're flying in ice at night you can secure the stupid spring-loaded ice light into the ON position by wrapping it around the switch and a post light.

2R · Post by 2R » Thu Jan 19, 2006 5:50 pm

Get the Cessna safety cd lots of great stuff on it .
Free from Cessna at the winter courses they put on.and the hats are good too

cyyz · Post by **cyyz** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 6:31 pm

2R wrote:Free from Cessna at the winter courses they put on.and the hats are good too

I want a free hat and CD, how do you get invited to said winter courses?

Frostbite · Post by **Frostbite** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:29 pm

Find out as many horror stories about Van’s in ice and scare the crap out of everyone so no one wants to fly except in sky clear conditions. I’m sure anyone in the FAA right now would be more than happy to help you out with this!

And the reasoning behind the ice light being spring loaded to the off position is as follows: What you don’t know can’t hurt you!!!

Now that I have lost all credibility!

It would be interesting to find out how much ice a Van pack on before
1. can not safely climb anymore.
2. cannot maintain altitude at the recommended 120 KIAS

Just a throwing it out there.

Frosty

rd1331 · Post by **rd1331** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 11:39 am

In Ice you have to Fly the Tail. Its the a/c's week spot.

The aircraft is underpowered. Get outta ice if you get in, don't go well i should get out in a couple, just get out.

If your climbing through 5000 and still picking ice up turn around, land, grab a coffee.

And make sure the boots are well IceX'd. The ice doesn't come off as good as on an airplane doing 20 kts faster especially when you slow down, not enough airflow to get it off.

As for the rest of the airplane pretty simple. Watch the Firewire around the exaust, sometimes comes outta its clip and can touch exaust and get a false engine fire warning.

Watch the emergency flap system, no limiters on it easy to twist a motor off its attachments.

Take the Green cover off the Wing Light and exchange it with the white cover of the Ignition switch. Makes it easier to not make the mistake of putting the starter on instead of the ignition. Sounds stupid but has caused two fatal accidents. One fuel selector off, go to put ignition on put starter on instead and you have bells and whistles going off.

Put the prop heat on before you get into ice, let it heat up, isn't the best system.

Thats all i can think of now.

Murdoch86 · Post by **Murdoch86** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 11:45 am

Safety recommendation from the FAA on the Caravan

-Require all operators of Cessna 208 series airplanes to maintain a minimum operating airspeed of 120 knots during flight in icing conditions, even if a descent is required to do so. (A-06-01) Urgent

-Prohibit all operators of Cessna 208 series airplanes from conducting flight into any icing conditions determined to be more than light icing. (A-06-02) Urgent

-Require all operators of Cessna 208 series airplanes to disengage the autopilot and fly the airplane manually when operating in icing conditions. (A-06-03) Urgent

Caracrane · Post by **Caracrane** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 12:10 pm

revised weights in icing conditions, service bulletin from Cessna
-208 with 675 hp: 8000 lbs
-208B with 600 hp with pod: 8000 lbs
-208B with 600 hp without pod: 8450 lbs.

208 serial 20800001 thru 20800395
208B serial 208B0001 thru 208B1169

rd1331 · Post by **rd1331** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 12:43 pm

Hey Caracrane,

Not bashing u but they don't make a 208B with a 600HP, only the 208 comes with the 600hp with the option of 675Hp. Was it just a typo and could you give us a link to where you found that?

Go Guns · Post by **Go Guns** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 1:41 pm

Interesting link regarding 'Hotwings" upcoming mod for the Caravan.

http://iar-ira.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/flyers/fal05c_e.html

http://www.aogair.com/upcoming_products.html

The FAA testing for approval started in late October and was supposed to take four months...

chipmunk · Post by **chipmunk** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 5:53 pm

rd1331 wrote: Take the Green cover off the Wing Light and exchange it with the white cover of the Ignition switch. Makes it easier to not make the mistake of putting the starter on instead of the ignition. Sounds stupid but has caused two fatal accidents. One fuel selector off, go to put ignition on put starter on instead and you have bells and whistles going off.

The company I work for has replaced the original starter switch with a toggle switch you have to actually lift up, THEN push forward or back to change position, so it's pretty much impossible to flip on the starter when you're going for the ignition. It's quite nice.

PT6-114A · Post by **PT6-114A** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 7:46 pm

OK OK enuf with the ice we have all read the newest FAA stuff on iceing. I want stuff like. The one im looking for is the roof produces 10% of the lift of the plane?? Has anyone herd of that??

Does anyone have any trick to flying it like: C/B 6 down 6 accross is the reading lights in the back you ask one for them to be truned off then if they do not comply pull it!! that is real handy.

im looking to find the trivial type stuff.

Some hay did you knows

Thanks

Shady McSly · Post by **Shady McSly** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 8:33 pm

Teach them that its impossible to do the evening patch and actually stay on shedule.

Caracrane · Post by **Caracrane** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 9:40 am

Rd1331, yes they used to, early models. info comes from Cessna service bulletin CAB06-1 dated Jan 9, 2006.

PT6-114A · Post by **PT6-114A** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 10:38 am

Hey McSly you just need to work faster it can be done with time to spear.

TG · Post by TG » Sat Jan 21, 2006 10:55 am

PT6-114A, any particular info on the Caravan you already know and that you would like to share ?
It will also prevent posting things you don't really need (like this below ?)

-The little stop at the "low idle" position can worn out which can lead to inadvertenly shut down the engine, while passing from high idle to low idle.
If you get caught, do not push back up your fuel condition lever. Let it fully shut down and start again afterward.

PT6-114A · Post by **PT6-114A** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 11:52 am

ya the guy that I had at FS told us about that and went as far as to say we were going to do it (Pull it into cutoff) and to in no way even think about pushing it back up!! I will tell you the first Caravan that I flew the stop was worn and I did pull it into cutoff whe going from High to low idle on the runway in YHY. Felt so dumb just roled to the end and restarted it and Taxied red faced to the ramp.

only had 20 ish hours on it.

Shady McSly · Post by **Shady McSly** » Sun Jan 22, 2006 6:58 pm

caravans have 'high-idle'?

harveymushman · Post by **harveymushman** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 9:40 am

Hey Brian I Have a "Tid Bit" for your new pilots,

Dont Fly Caravans 'cause they suck!

HM

and also put the ball to the tank with less fuel