Beechjet 400A

[jschroed]

I have just accepted a position as an F/O on a Beechjet 400A. I was wondering if anyone could give me info about the airplane. This is my first jet job so I don’t really know what to expect. Also I have to go to flight safety for the 13 initial. I don’t have any idea what to expect there either. Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[guido411]

Congrats on the job first off. And second, if you'd posted this in the frax borad you'd get a ton of replies due to the number of fellow FLOPS pilots on the board. This was my first jet too, came from flying turboprops and as far as flying, it acts like most airplanes. The handling is VERY trucky, due to the lack of ailerons. You won't fly it slow with one hand very often. The airplane could use more climb power, you'll find it peters out around the mid 30s @ 250-280 KIAS with any fuel in the trunk. Typically file a long trip with GW TO at 350-370 then speed up, burn some trunk fuel, then climb to 410 or so. The landings are tricky to get a greaser, I'd say if you really work it 50% of your landings are what you might call "decent". I've found with flying a different airplane every 8 days that it REALLY depends on the plane itself. The last airplane I felw you'd think the tires were going to just lick the pavement and then THUD! The best excuse I've heard (and it makes sense to me) is too much N2 inflation of the struts with not enough hydro. The fluid sqeezed through the port inside the strut casues more cushioning than the N2 and when the strut lowers a bit the mechs just put a little more N2 in, thus over time decreasing the amt of hyraulic fluid. Maybe the guy that came up with that was full of **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** too, I dunno.

As far as school goes, I went to Simuflite for the BJ, but FSI for the Cheyennes I used to fly. I was more impressed with FSI but that's neither here nor there. Several tips I'd offer up. Don't become too caught up in the EFIS. Learn to filter out the "neat but not neccessary" information that the boxes give you. While at school learn ONLY the functions of the FMS that are neccessary for flight. I.e. puting in a flight plan, puting in a departure/arrival and approach, programming a hold and that's about it. All the other stuff you'll learn with your Captain on the road. The previous things you need to know to fly the airplane. If somebody refers to the SDU as the "Green Monster", ignore them. My ground school insturctor talked about this evil instrument that they put in the panel to humble pilots and all that jazz. Man, that was the only think familiar to me when I got in the cockpit. It's simply an HSI and RMI combined and it's pretty idiot proof. Once you've flown the EFIS for a while you'll be spoiled and you won't like the SDU but it is VERY helpful for sim flights. For example, you get a clearance to cross the 090 radial of the ABC VOR and turn right to 060. You can program the FMS to show that radial on the MFD, even mark the point where your course intercepts that radial and fly directly to it, then commence your turn. But while your inexperience with the FMS is causing you to fumble around and misprogram you've flown past the radial. Just use the SDU in HSI mode, dial in that 090 radial and don't forget to scan it. It's probably just what you're used to looking at.

Some airplane specific issues that I'll bring up. The H-Stab is a confusing system, ask questions in class about it and read the manual BEFORE the day you discuss it in class. This airplane is an electric jet, almost everything is electric in some way or another. Learn the systems well but the good news is it's not that out of the ordinary for any airplane of that era, and there really is not an AC system to speak of. There is, but there's hardly anything on it. Environmentals are pretty straight forward as long as you've had previous experience with air cycle machines and freon refrigerant air systems (it has both). Lastly, fuel systems are a bit more confusing becuase there are severeal different layouts from the MU300 to the BE400 depending on serial numbers. I don't know about FSI, but at Simuflite the type ride oral had VERY little discussion on anything other that the 400A, the airplane we were going to be flying. If you have on of the older SNs then you can expect that they'll cover the bird you're going to be flying.

Get ahold of an FSI book before hand and read it cover to cover if you have time, if you can't no big deal, you won't be the only one in class that hasn't read it. Just study hard at night but leave some time for going out for a beer with your sim partner. You get each other thru it and you're only as good as the weaker partner so help each other out. If you get behiond the plane, SLOW DOWN, you don't have to fly at 250 below ten just because it's allowed. Usage of the autopilot is allowed and encouraged (to a point) so utilize it, no hero points in the sim for hand flying a minimums approach. Congrats again and have fun. There are TONS of other people that made the same transition before us, and the way I figure there were many of those people that were dumber than me and still made it!

 

[brossia7]

whats up Remy
congrats on the job
stay out of those unusual attitudes

 

[DiamondJim]

I have plenty of copies of the FSI books if you need them. just let me know.... That goes for anyone else out there thats interested too.

 

[FracCapt]

I have just accepted a position as an F/O on a Beechjet 400A. I was wondering if anyone could give me info about the airplane. This is my first jet job so I don’t really know what to expect. Also I have to go to flight safety for the 13 initial. I don’t have any idea what to expect there either. Any insight would be appreciated.

Don't worry about it. The Beechjet is a very easy airplane to fly. Figuring out the FMS is the hardest part about it. Have Flightsafety send you the manuals ahead of time, or get them from the company you are going to work for. Get to know the memory items on the emergency checklist. Get to know the profiles for the sim(published in the FSI checklist, I think). Aside from that...there's not much you can do to get ahead of the game. They'll take care of you at FSI - just let them know from the beginning that it's your first jet and EFIS experience. It's all very easy, really.