Piaggio ground handling

[imacdog]

Are they pretty tricky?

 

[RoughAir]

Yes they are

 

[Nolife]

Would seem so, narrow wheel base with a high center of gravity; single engine with a strong cross-wind would be very challenging.

 

[RoughAir]

And the nose wheel steering system is problem prone.

 

[learflyer]

Why does something about the weight of a King Air and lighter than a Beech jet even NEED nosewheel steering? Redesign that POS!

 

[...Lost]

http://aircrashed.com/accident/LAX08CA036.shtml

After the battle mountain accident, Piaggio issued a service bulletin which prohibited engaging the nose wheel steering on landing. Also not supposed use the nose wheel steering on takeoff above 20kts (airspeed indicator comes alive at 40kts...). No aniskid brakes, and ref speeds of 120-136.

 

[SCT]

Are the ref speeds really that high, Lost? I'm surprised.

 

[...Lost]

Small wing = high ref speeds

Normal ref (flaps full) = 120kts

Single engine ref (flaps mid) = 130kts

Icing conditions (flaps mid + 6kt additive) = 136kts

Did I mention no antiskid brakes?

 

[RoughAir]

I confirm those speeds by Lost. If you carry extra airspeed in the flare, you will float (like a Mooney) and lose precious runway behind you. The shortest runway I've landed on was 3400 feet with full flaps, and that was with touching down on the very end of the runway, on speed, in reverse after touchdown , minimal braking until 80 knots. The brakes are crap too.

Usually my personal runway mins were 4000' (dry), 5000' (wet), I never had a single engine situation but 5500' would be my personal min with no crosswind. Otherwise 6000' for a single engine with 10 ky max crosswind.

 

[rettofly]

I confirm those speeds by Lost. If you carry extra airspeed in the flare, you will float (like a Mooney) and lose precious runway behind you. The shortest runway I've landed on was 3400 feet with full flaps, and that was with touching down on the very end of the runway, on speed, in reverse after touchdown , minimal braking until 80 knots. The brakes are crap too.

Usually my personal runway mins were 4000' (dry), 5000' (wet), I never had a single engine situation but 5500' would be my personal min with no crosswind. Otherwise 6000' for a single engine with 10 ky max crosswind.

Good info. I disagree on one point: In the absence of anti-skid, the brakes are TOO good. It's hard not to get on them on a short runway. I never touched them at all until 60-70 KT. With an engine out, I would want the good engine to be on the downwind side of a crosswind and use reverse to control the weathercocking.