Page 15 - Volume 16 Number 2

421
What didn’t change was the 421’s labyrinthine fuel system. Grown from the 310’s design with 50-gallon tip-tank mains, the 421 had 35 or 48-gallon auxiliary systems in the outboard wings, optional 26-gallon nacelle tanks with transfer pumps, full-time circulating pumps, dual- speed standby boost pumps, and a host of drains for the tanks, crossfeed lines and valves. Pilots of similar tip- tanked Cessna twins didn’t mind too much, but converting buyers from other brands required convincing.
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Still, the Golden Eagle had a lot to offer and occupied an almost- unique spot in the marketplace. Pressurization, cabin room (at least while seated), load carrying and speed were its strengths. The Citation fanjet was the step-up model in the Cessna line; the company’s position at the time was that turboprop twins were a pointless compromise, an inferior choice compared to the low-cost Citation. As the Citation matured, however, a gap developed that only a turboprop could fill, and fill it Cessna did, in its usual spectacular way, with the 1978 441 Conquest. But, that’s a story for another time.
The best of the 421Bs were built from 1973 on, when takeoff weight went up 200 pounds, pressurization differential was raised from 4.2 to 5.0 PSI, the cabin was stretched aft
fuel tanks, supplemented with auxiliary tanks in the outer panels, keeping the fuel supply away from the cabin for crashworthiness. As with the 310, the landing gear and split flaps were operated electrically and the cockpit was comfortably set up for owner/pilot operation. The wide-oval cabin, however, was different; entered via a split airstair behind the wing rather than a forward door over the wing, it offered great elbow room that carried forward into the cockpit.
FEBRUARY 2012
16 inches and an extra window was added. However, after a half-dozen years, the shortcomings of the 421B could no longer be ignored. It was time for an update to the model 421C. The cabin was superlative and the engines were proven, so the fuselage was placed on a new laminar-flow bonded wet-wing with (gasp) no tip tanks. The fin and rudder were increased in height by 10 inches. Fuel management was reduced to on/off/crossfeed and the 310’s old electrically-operated, fully-stowed landing gear was replaced by a hydraulic system with open maingear wells and fixed strut doors. Life
Making It Better
Cessna Aircraft always upgraded its models, and the 421 wasn’t long in getting its share of improvements. A similar 421A followed the usual yearly designation in 1969, but the master stroke was the introduction of the long-nose 421B Golden Eagle in 1970. The B-model’s prodigious proboscis held up to 600 pounds of gear, which helped balance the cabin load. An extra foot of stub wing was added on each side, placing the engines farther from the cabin. Gross weight went up to 7,250 pounds from the 421A’s 6,840 pounds. The 421B expanded the biggest Cessna into a much more useful personal airliner.
TWIN & TURBINE • 13
Cessna 421C Specifications:
Wingspan Wing Area Length Height Wheel track Wheelbase Maximum ramp weight Maximum takeoff weight Empty weight, standard Empty weight, equipped Useful load, standard Useful load, equipped Fuel capacity, standard Seats Baggage capacity (less equipment) Wing loading Power loading
41.12 feet 215 sq. ft. 36.38 feet 12.93 feet 17.38 feet 10.48 feet 7,500 lbs. 7,450 lbs. 4,468 lbs. 5,432 lbs. 2,832 lbs. 2,068 lbs. 206 gallons 6/10 1,500 lbs.
34.7 lbs/sq.ft.
9.9 lbs/hp
Maximum speed
Maximum cruise speed, 73.5% power Economy cruise speed, 60% power Range, maximum cruise speed, w/reserve Range, 60% power, w/reserve Range, maximum, w/reserve Stall speed, clean Stall speed, gear & flaps down Rate of climb, sea level, 2 engines Rate of climb, sea level, 1 engine Service ceiling Service ceiling, 1 engine Takeoff ground roll Takeoff over 50-ft. Landing over 50-ft Landing ground roll
258 kts. @20,000 feet 241 kts @25,000 feet 215 kts @25,000 feet 1,039 n.mi.
1,170 n.mi.
1,284 n.mi.
83 kts. 74 kts.
1,940 fpm
350 fpm
30,200 ft. 14,900 ft.
1,786 ft. 2,323 ft. 2,293 ft. 720 ft.
Performance:
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