Page 32 - Volume 15 Number 7

The well-lit cabin, refurbished in vintage-style leather and wool appointments, has huge picture windows and a club- seating arrangement with foldaway worktables.Model 18s were approved for standby JATO solid rocket boosters in aft-nacelle housings that could be fired to gain speed in the event of an engine loss during takeoff with a heavy load. The tricycle-gear airplanes were not covered by the JATO approval, however.from the cabin with a sturdy door. The well-lit cabin with the huge picture windows carries a club-seating arrangement with foldaway worktables.Moving forward to the cockpit requires stepping over a tall spar housing, through a folding door that maintains proper decorum. The crew sits in greenhouse splendor, with eyebrow windows overhead and a two-piece windshield introduced on the G18S. A huge side window opens for ventilation. The massive transport-style control yokes sprout from the floor near the sidewalls and a virtual forest of knobs and levers adorn the center pedestal. The throttles are in the center, DC-3 style, with prop levers on the left and mixtures on the right. A big emergency hand crank can lower the gear or flaps manually.A blend of new and old, Craig’s panel is equipped with a Garmin GNS530, SL30 comm radio, GMA340 audio panel and GTX327 transponder. Retained are the KT-76A standby transponder, KN64 DME, WX9 Stormscope and Sperry weather radar. A venerable Century III autopilot is mounted on the pedestal.Getting UnderwayStarting the H18 calls upon skills from another era. It begins with a pull-through of the three-blade Hartzell props, to make sure the R-985s don’t have oil in their lower cylinders. Back in the cockpit, Craig says it doesn’t seem to matter which engine is started first; the left engine is closest to the batteries in the port wing stub, while right engine is furthest from the door, in case someone is still coming up the stairs.After a generous amount of priming, the big Eclipse starter is engaged; mags are left off until a dozen blades have gone by, then the ignition goes on to bring 1,000 cubic inches of radial powerplant to glorious life. The deep rumble and light wreath of smoke announces to all the world that something worth watching has occurred.Craig’s panel is a blend of new and old, including a Garmin GNS530, SL30 comm radio, GMA340 audio panel and GTX327 transponder.30 • TWIN & TURBINEJULY 2011