Page 11 - Volume 16 Number 8

340 can easily be slipped into 3,000- foot runways. Departure, of course, will require some exposure to an engine-failure risk.The 340’s entrance door is a split airstair, with two folding steps in the lower section and an upward-hinged panel containing a window. Pins secure it against the pressurization load with confirmation windows for a visual check. A passive seal retains the cabin pressure.The broad horizontal tail feathers of the 340 span 17 feet and the fin reaches nearly 13 feet into the sky, so there will be some hangaring issues, even though wingspan is only 38 feet. A trim tab is only found on the right elevator, a Cessna minimalist design approach; there’s also a rudder tab and an aileron tab on the left wing. A fairly massive ventral fin and extended dorsal are used.The 340’s start-from-scratch fuselage added considerable length to the 310’s airframe, a feature that almost always benefits a design. The lean, lanky tailcone places the fin and rudder well aft and the powerful elevator needed no downspring or bobweight, unlike the 310. That said, one has to mind the aft-CG limitations of the aircraft, by putting baggage in the nose compartment and loading most of the passenger weight in the forward seats. It’scommon to remove the sixth seat, the one adjacent to the entrance door, both to make it easier to enter and to limit aft load.Now BoardingBoarding is accomplished in proper order, usually from front to back as a concession to the narrow aisle. Wriggling into the cockpit seat requires inserting the proper foot around the pedestal, then dropping into place. There’s actually plenty of room after settling in; it’s just the access that’s restricted. An emergency exit panel surrounds the forward right cabin window, should the need arise. Cockpit dividers, cabinetry and worktables are held to a minimum, for weight reasons. A cargo restraint net can secure aft baggage when necessary.In the cockpit, a well-populated annunciator panel alerts the pilot to system anomalies like door ajar or low voltage. The complex flight deck is nicely laid-out for single-pilot operation, with circuit-breakers and lighting controls on the left sidewall, engine and environmental switches on the left subpanel and trim and power controls on the center pedestal. The fuel selectors are in a floor-mounted “dog dish” between the pilots and the emergency hand- crank for the landing gear is stowed under the pilot’s seat. There’snothing overhead to confound bifocal wearers.The expanse of panel real estate is sufficient for the extensive avionics 340 owners commonly install and right-side flight instruments are often fitted to complete the big- plane effect, but not on our subject airplane. The owner had replaced the pilot’s mechanical flight director and HSI with an Aspen Evolution system with synthetic vision, fed by a Garmin GNS530W. A Bendix/ King KLN90B is also installed, and an Avidyne EX500 multi-function display was at center stage. His Skywatch TCAS depicts traffic on the Avidyne MFD, Garmin 530W, and the Aspen panel. A WX500 Stormscope displays on the 530 and the MFD, usually with one in strike mode and one in cell mode. The autopilot was the venerable Cessna/ ARC 400B, for which the vacuum- driven attitude indicator was retained. All other instrumentation was electrically powered.Start-up is usually initiated with the left engine, as the batteries are located in the left wing. Cessna cleverly provides a primer toggle between the starter buttons, allowing high-speed boost pump to bring up fuel pressure, after which the starter is engaged with toggle finger at the ready in case the engine stumbles.AUGUST 2012TWIN & TURBINE • 9