Page 10 - Volume 18 Number 9

them. The power gauges were placed up under the glareshield for easy monitoring; at takeoff power, all the needles should be oriented at a 3 o’clock position. Electric switches and breakers are on the left sidewall, armrest and lower panel.A set of right-side flight instruments were made available for 1983, although the T303 is well set up for single-pilot operation. Starting follows Continental fuel- injection procedure, boosting up 60 pounds-per-hour fuel pressure, then cranking with gradual throttle movement until ignition, blipping the primer as needed to stabilize the engine into an idle. Taxiing control is light and responsive, as the wheelbase is only 7.5 feet. Pretakeoff checks are done at 1,700 rpm, cowl louvers are verified open, boost pumps go on, yaw damper is checked “off” and flaps are normally extended to 10 degrees.Easy LaunchLined up, we held the brakes while pushing up the power to 20-25 inches, letting the turbo controllers have a chance to manage the wastegates smoothly, then we rolled toward an 80-knot liftoff target; Vyse blueline is at 97 knots. Liftoff is accompanied by a slight tail-tuck, due to the high horizontal tail and aft location of the maingear, easily controlled by releasing unstick pressure. Vy comes at 103 knots, producing about 1,500 fpm with a 10-degree nose-up attitude.Trimming for a 1,000-fpm climb rate, however, gives a lower deck angle and 130 knots of forward speed. Returning to Vy above 10,000 feet generated 1,200 of climb and at 16,000 we still had 1,100 fpm in hand, even with a small m.p. restriction above 15,000. From a 1,500-foot takeoff elevation, we leveled at 16,500 in 18 minutes, even with ATC stairsteps. The Crusader we flew ran cool in the prolonged climb, CHT remaining around 350 C. even in ISA +20 conditions.! DOWTY! HARTZELL! MCCAULEY! MT PROPELLER! SENSENICH! RAPCO DISTRIBUTOR! WOODWARD PT6Ahttp://www.rockyprop.com e-mail: rockyprop@rockyprop.com! LARGE INVENTORY ! SAME DAY SHIPPING ! UNCOMPROMISED QUALITY ! COMPETITIVE PRICES ! WORLD CLASS WARRANTY ! FACTORY TRAINED TECHNICIANS2865 AIRPORT DRIVE ! ERIE, CO 80516FAX: 303-665-7164 ! FAA/EASA CRS FR6R545N8 • TWIN & TURBINESEPTEMBER 2014