idaho back country flying

[Ernie Martin]

From my perspective, I wanted to add one item and subtract one from Herb's comments.

ADDITION: This may be more an amplification than an addition: the gear is NOT a problem on 337s. As long as you perform routine maintenance (like a thorough inspection yearly, during the annual) it's not less reliable or more troublesome than any other retractable gear. I'm on my second 337 over a 12 year period and have never had a lick of trouble. In fact, I've never had any problems in flight or found any problems during inspections. Ever. It just keeps working flawlessly. The only maintenance I have ever performed is one time I changed the hydraulic hoses, even though there were no leaks or frayed exteriors. Wait, I HAVE had gear problems, but it was always the battery; on my current 337G with an electric power-pack (my prior '69D had an engine-driven hydraulic pump), when the battery is near the end of life, if the aircraft has sat for a while (so the battery has discharged some), you can start seeing problems with the gear, but they are easily resolved in flight. With a good battery, never a problem.

SUBTRACTION: Unless you're going into very short fields, I don't think a STOL kit is necessary. Neither of my two 337s had it and I've gone into pretty short fields from the islands of the Bahamas to the Idaho backcountry. Without it you can take-off and land pretty much per the manual. Of course, on fields that are close to the minimum, you have to be on your A game, but that's part of what makes flying great.

Again, all of this is my opinion.

Ernie

[n86121]

I recently spent a week on the middle for of the Salmon river, and have seen and walked th runways mentioned.

When I was looking for 337's I didn't think the turbo or RSTOL would be necessary, but I ran across one and bought it anyway.

I've had it for 20+ years now, and operate out of a 2665 ft runway at 115 MSL surrounded by trees in a narrow valley www.potomac-airfield.com KVKX.

Washington DC' summers routinely bring the density altitude up to 2,000 in the summer.

TURBOS

The turbo is nice in that you can maintain a high rate of climb ad infinitum. I learned in a non-turbo, and climbing from 9500-11500 was a slow process with four onboard.

Those that regularly fly ice also say turbos are the most valuable option, because ice is usually only a few thousand feet thick, and the turbo's allow you to continue to climb quickly.

The 337 turbos also have variable pressure controllers. That means if you want to loaf at low power the turbos are also loafing. Just power back a bit and you become a non-turbo aircraft.

Another reassuring thing to know is the single engine ceiling of my T337D is 16,800ft. A good friend with a non-turbo 310 just got posted to Colorado, wher eit suddenly hit him his single-engine service ceiling is 500 BELOW field elevation.

STOL

I've got the RSTOL, which is amazing.

As a former helicopter owner/pilot, the whole fixed wing concept of having less and less aerodynamic control just as you approach the ground was intuitively insane.

The RSTOL brings the envelope of control down to much lower speeds. In other words, a you still have a LOT of control at closer to normal speeds.

The RSTOL stall speed landing configuration is down around 50 knots (or less). I routinely touch down at 65-70. The primary benefit is not that you operate at the edge, but it goves LOTS of control at very slow speeds, instead of just 'enough.'

I also routinely go into Hatteras, noted for occasionally wild winds. My record so far was landing in a 28 knot gusting crosswind at IFR minimums. The STOL gave me lots of aileron control, and the two huge rudders cant be beat for any crosswind.

The RSTOL also has vortex generators behind the rear engine. Their benefit is single engine climb of 450 fpm with either engine at gross.

Just some things to consider.

D