Beechjet Pilots

[flyingduck]

So we are geting a Beechjet. If money was not a object what are the must haves 4th tube, AFIS, N1 Safe Computer, 16300 STC. Anythings eles we need or should have?

 

[400A]

So we are geting a Beechjet. If money was not a object what are the must haves 4th tube, AFIS, N1 Safe Computer, 16300 STC. Anythings eles we need or should have?

AMS-5000 is a must. If you can get post RK-110 you will be much happier with your environmental systems. 16,300 is nice if it already has it, but we were not willing to give $10K for 200 lbs. 4th tube is nice, but not a deal breaker after flying both. Of course TCAS II and EGPWS. Check your PM's.

 

[Flyght30]

I agree with the fms 5000. I like three tubes and in place of the 4th, put a avidyne ex 500 or ex 5000 for charts and wx. I have seen a garmin 400 and mx 500 in a hawker 400xp and liked it. I would place a Garmin 480 instead of a straight 400 so that I could place jet routes in the box instead of point to point. my 2 cents.

 

[PlaneJohn]

If money is no object don't get a beechjet. Let your owner know about the 4 dual engine flameouts the beechjet has had. Better yet ask the salesman in front of your owners what Raytheon has done to fix the problem. Baggage sucks, climb performance sucks, and if you go by the numbers in the supplements section of the AFM the contaminated runway values suck as well, but it does have a nice cabin. If you have to get one go with 4 tubes. Nice for using two different ranges on the radar, and running a checklist. Good luck if you get one. Lots of other nice airplanes to fly!

 

[400A]

If money is no object don't get a beechjet. Let your owner know about the 4 dual engine flameouts the beechjet has had. Better yet ask the salesman in front of your owners what Raytheon has done to fix the problem. Baggage sucks, climb performance sucks, and if you go by the numbers in the supplements section of the AFM the contaminated runway values suck as well, but it does have a nice cabin. If you have to get one go with 4 tubes. Nice for using two different ranges on the radar, and running a checklist. Good luck if you get one. Lots of other nice airplanes to fly!

I will not debate it any further on this board, but before you do that, make sure you do your home work. It is not isolated to the beechjet as many would have you believe. Find the new Nasa report and read it. I Never worry about flameouts. I do operate the systems properly though.

The salesman will be happy to answer your questions. I also cant help but notice that the Beechjet flew an awful lot of hours without flameouts until one certain operator started having problems. No A.D. has been issued because it does not need one.

Most aircraft contaminated runway numbers stink.

 

[thatpilotguy]

Having flown the Beechjet and the Citation Ultra in a previous life I would have to say that the Citation is a more capable aircraft. With that said, it's kind of a fun airplane to fly. It has some strange systems, and is heavy on the controls, but it's very stable and rides really well through the bumps, much better than the Citation.

A couple of things to consider when looking for a Beechjet. I remember having issues with Stab heat. The elevator horns are a composite material that has a paint type coating. If water is able to get into the horns it plays nasty games with the Stab heat. I would suggest taking it to a service center for a pre-buy. There are some Beechjet specific things that should be looked at closely.

I keep wondering if the Beechjet is going to get a new cockpit...a proline conversion would be nice.

 

[Beechjetr]

There has been an A.D. It's a revision to the AFM, and redefines possible icing conditions. There was a great article in B&CA a few months ago about the flameouts; really not limited to the BE-400.

I think it's a great airplane, with a mission. Ours has the 4th tube, and the 2 ranges on radar are the only real advantage. It's kinda heavy too. I think those avidyne MFDs are pretty slick.

The cabin is the best in it's class.

The 16.3 mod helps a lot.

The AMS-5000 upgrade is really expensive, i think i heard like $250k(that might have been with RVSM too).

There is an STC from HBC FTY for a bigger battery, really great mod.

PM me if you have more questions, i'd be happy to help.

 

[guido411]

IMHO...

4th tube is a waste. The radar on one screen can be scaled in and out, that's what the little black knob is for. Paper checklist works fine, always has.

16.3 mod worth it on a LOT of missions. 200 lbs of extra gas would mean not stopping for fuel on many trips.

Collins 850 is a deal-breaker, not supported well.

Scour the logbooks for h-stab issues. It seems those that HAVE the h-stab problem NEVER get rid of it completely.

It is what it is. It's a small cabin airplane that was originally designed to fly less than 1000 nm missions (Diamond) that has been continuously modified by now 4 manufacturers. It's far from perfect. If you want a comfy cabin, high cruise speed (for a small airplane), and runway length is not an issue, by all means buy a BJ.

 

[willNOTfly4free]

What exactly is an N1 Safe Computer?

 

[Beechjetr]

It's a small computer with an LED readout that replaces the N1 reminder ticker (above your N1 gauges). It has a knob with 3 settings(TO/GA, MCT, MCZ), and it will compute your max N1 setting for the given RAT/PA/anti-ice config.

They're helpful, but not necessary.