Cheyanne 400

[conquest]

Anybody have any time in the Cheyenne 400? Why GPU starts all the time>

 

[LJ45]

probably typical TPE331, they start slow on batts and better with more power.

 

[TMMT]

Oh yeah, the 400... that thing is a hawse!

I loved her and wanted to give the thing to the Navy for target practice...

GPU starts were recommended if available.

Using the batts wore on them hard, it took a lot of oomph to swing those huge blades and those direct drives.

They were finicky about temps and batt starts.

You had to do parallel batt starts if the OAT is above 0 deg C.

Had to do series batt starts if the OAT is below 0 deg C but not above 10 deg C. about 50 deg F.

Also had further limits on the TPE for starts below -18 deg C.

There was no temp limits on GPU starts.

 

[mxpilot2]

Every Garrett powered airplane I ever flew recommended GPU starts if at all possible. They are slow to start without a GPU and if your battery gets questionable, you're asking for a hot start, followed by no start. Can only imagine the big blades on that dude really exacerbate it.

Would have loved to get to try one out once though, just to say I did.

 

[LJ45]

Every Garrett powered airplane I ever flew recommended GPU starts if at all possible. They are slow to start without a GPU and if your battery gets questionable, you're asking for a hot start, followed by no start. Can only imagine the big blades on that dude really exacerbate it.

Would have loved to get to try one out once though, just to say I did.

Ditto, you would think they would still make that airplane with improvements. The III was nice, esp. the IIIA

 

[Nolife]

Gotta love TPE's. I drive a five bladed BE100 sometimes and without a GPU starting is truely an adventure. I hear the Cheyenne 4 is a rocket off the runway... supposedly it out climbs Lears initially.

 

[TMMT]

Gotta love TPE's. I drive a five bladed BE100 sometimes and without a GPU starting is truely an adventure. I hear the Cheyenne 4 is a rocket off the runway... supposedly it out climbs Lears initially.

The 400LS could do 3,000 fpm no problem, I think the book climb was around 3200 or 3300.

 

[Headwind]

The 400LS could do 3,000 fpm no problem, I think the book climb was around 3200 or 3300.

I can remember doing 3,000 FPM in a Cheyenne II, but it was still a POS airplane. I operated one for about 4 years. Don't know much about the 400, but always, back then, thought of the Cheyenne as low quality compaired with other turbo props.

 

[Cat3C]

I thought I recall that Chuck Yeager set some records in the 400 many years ago- not sure exactly what they were for.......

 

[TMMT]

I thought I recall that Chuck Yeager set some records in the 400 many years ago- not sure exactly what they were for.......

Yes, he did it in a Cheyenne 400 and it still holds all the time-to-climb records in its class.