While it's usually desirable to keep your old cores — particularly if they have had good service history — there's so much new in a RAM overhaul that the company's bunch-processing methods should not be of concern. Market strength of the 414A was rated A+ by the Bluebook's market analysis newsletter, Marketline, this past summer, and it's likely the result of a pent-up demand for piston cabin-class twins since production ceased. RAM's winglet or vortex generator kits boost the maximum takeoff weight of a 414A by 300 to 355 pounds. Already a member? Typically, RAM completes about 100 conversions a year. Piston vs. Turboprop: Performance, Efficiency, and Safety – … The Cessna Pressurized Twins Aircraft Operators Group serves as a source of information to its members through its quarterly magazine, Charlie Papa Tango, which contains maintenance and operation tips for owners and operators of 340s, 414s, and 421s. Internal parts get similar treatment: Connecting rods and pistons assemblies (including rings and pins) are weighed and grouped into narrow weight categories. An intensive technical phase preceded the first flight, including the installation of a new driving unit, as well as an exhaustive and comprehensive administrative approval process. Heavy rain, lightning, crosswinds and gusty winds caused us to delay on the taxiway for quite some time. If you need any proof that RAM's machinations have paid off, just look at the Series VII performance charts next to previous iterations of the RAM engines, particularly the 335-hp Series VI. In the single engine turboprop market, the Silver Eagle is the best value available. These engines can be very temperamental and do not take kindly to abrupt throttle movements or casually monitored engine operations. However, I just have to fly them to the maintenance shops, I don't have to write the checks for them. Photos of pristine street rods or custom motorcycles adorn many of the toolboxes. The resulting airplane had a wingspan that was 4.5 feet longer and a nose stretched nearly 3 feet. "When I looked at all the new-production models, and at the performance and load-carrying of each one, I came to the conclusion that you don't always get a lot for your money. For more information, contact RAM Aircraft Corporation, 7505 Airport Drive, Waco Regional Airport, Waco, Texas 76708; telephone 817/752-8381. 2 Kits AvailableKit A 1. The journey started when Stuber had RAM find and purchase for him a 1979 Cessna 414A Chancellor. New Fiberglass Cowlings 6. That's beautiful.". In a well- equipped airplane weighing in at 5,100 pounds, you could fill the cabin with six people and a little baggage and fly for about 2 hours with IFR reserves. That peg has been placed by Griggs Aircraft with the Silver Eagle. Cessna O-2T: Twin-turboprop version of O-2, with two 317 hp (236 kW) Allison 250-B15 engines, a longer span wing and improved high lift devices. Finally, then, the hard question for Stuber: Is this airplane worth the money? The time to buy may be now if the trend continues. Leaned as per RAM recommendations, each engine chugs down 20.7 gph. We're talking, of course, about an airplane. The wing lockers are also useful for baggage and/or auxiliary fuel tanks, which are available from Tom's Aircraft in Long Beach, California. "Now what I have is essentially a new airplane," Stuber continues, "one that's fast and pressurized and tremendously capable." Cessna O-2TT: Improved twin turboprop forward air control aircraft, with same wing (43 ft 0 in (13.11 m) wing and engines of O-2T but with new forward fuselage with tandem seating for pilot and observer to give improved view. In this case, he chose an airplane put together by RAM Aircraft, the well-known and longstanding firm that knows twin Cessnas about as well as anyone around. These are practiced hands. The 402 has become the workhorse of the short-haul airlines and air-tour operators in real life and on the NBC television show Wings. Griggs Aircraft, as owner of the Silver Eagle STC, is here to support and maintain all aspects of your Silver Eagle experience. First the jugs are sent out to have their bores channel-chromed. At various comparable cruise settings, the VII maintains that improvement; but at high altitude, the new system really shows its stuff. Fuel capacity reached 206 usable gallons, and the operation of the fuel system was made far simpler with an On/Off/Crossfeed valve for each engine. (The upgrade from your old light cases costs $2,650 for each engine.) RAM also fits a new camshaft of its own design, developed with gentler ramps — to make life easier on the rest of the valve train — and a profile that results in better efficiency and increased torque at cruise power settings. I couldn't make the schedules I do without it. To utilize the 414 to its potential, it needs to be flown high. Because so many of the airplanes have been modified, it would be hard to find one that is still completely stock — and that's a good thing, considering the added usefulness of an airplane with a higher gross weight. True airspeeds down low are no better — in some cases worse — than many normally aspirated light twins, while fuel flow is much higher. Overall, the 414 is flexible. In comparison to the King Air C90 "the result was an $875,000 pressurized twin … For the tip-tanked 414s, RAM offers a 415-pound increase through an engine/prop upgrade and the application of VGs. The … (The A models have the much- improved, 206-gallon wet-wing fuel system. Allmon suggests that I shoot for 75-percent power, using 30 inches and 2,450 rpm; our density altitude is nearly 20,000 feet. 2-Tach Generators 11. All engine temperatures fall slightly, then remain stable. Allmon suggests that the winglets really begin to shine in the flight levels. Takeoffs are made with the auxiliary fuel pumps in the Low position. Earlier 414s are easily recognizable by their tip tanks and stubbier nose. The combination of the dependable Cessna 210 airframe with the safe, reliable Rolls-Royce turbine engine results in a high-performance single-engine Turboprop aircraft beyond compare. Then it has to be installed, so the whole thing will probably cost at least 300k + the C-172 itself. On the build-up end, RAM starts with new Continental cylinders — the company does not overhaul or reuse any cylinder assemblies, an expensive move intended to cut down on warranty claims and to assure the customer the greatest possible reliability. In fact, it's the same fuselage as that used for the turboprop 425 (Conquest I). The total conversion cost depends on the engine selected- with the PT6A-21 coming in about $100-000 less – and giving a Duke devotee the potential to own a turboprop twin that’s not a King Air for about $1.1 million... with new engines- props- cowls- support systems and engine instruments. Currently, tip-tanked 1970 to 1977 414s are averaging $150,000 to $220,000, according to the Aircraft Bluebook-Price Digest. Passengers will like the 414's large cabin, which offers far more room than do competitors like the Piper Aerostar and Beech Duke. Continental's TSIO-520-J powered the original 414s, while the TSIO-520-Ns pulled the 414A. Much of what RAM does for conversions takes place under one roof; very little work is outsourced. It is the first Many accidents that occurred after engine failures involved airplanes loaded far beyond the maximum gross weight and flown improperly with a failed engine (for example, with the gear and/or flaps down). This struggle to power aircraft started with the Wright Brothers and has been carried forward into our decade. Browse a wide selection of new and used Turboprop Aircraft near you at Controller.com. Get the latest news on coronavirus impacts on general aviation, including what AOPA is doing to protect GA, event cancellations, advice for pilots to protect themselves, and more. The radial engines of the past have given way to the flat engines that currently grace nearly every general aviation aircraft out there. Stuber opted for hydraulically actuated spoilers, and they really help with those long descents from altitude. Basic cost for the RAM Series VII conversion is $109,400, including installation. With decades of technical/mechanical and structural experience, we will ensure your Silver Eagle receives the highest quality care and service the industry has to offer. Remove the existing Continental O-470 230hp and step up to Air … Time will tell, of course, if they make their 1,600-hour TBO in Stuber's airplane. Airworthiness directives are limited mostly to the engines, and those tagged to the airframe should have been complied with by now. Handling, too, will never let you down, unlike some of the competitors with tainted reputations. The 425 was introduced in 1980 and was a derivation of the Cessna 421, powered by two 450 hp (336 kW) Pratt & Whitney PT6 engines. VMC rollovers are conspicuous only by their absence. One man builds each engine, start to finish, and the pace at which he works seems more efficient and relaxed than harried. With the Series VII, there's yet more work to be done, since the new 335-hp engines mate with a substantially improved turbo system. The pressurization system is kind to our ears. If you're lightly loaded and if ATC allows you to cruise at high altitudes, bladder-busting legs are possible — and they don't have to be painful if the airplane has the optional potty in the back. At the heart is a new- design turbocharger by Garrett AiResearch, called the TA81. Although you could fly for about 1,100 miles, you would be able to bring only two friends and a few bags. Clean and brightly lighted, the engine build-up stalls could as well hold dentist chairs as engine stands. It's larger — 17 cubic inches against 10 cubic inches — and more efficient than the stock TH08A fitted to the 414A. The engines began life with a TBO of 1,400 hours, which was later extended to 1,600 hours; but, according to many owners, the 1,400-hour figure is a more accurate estimate of the engine's lifespan. At one time, it seemed that there were so many names (Titan, Businessliner, Golden Eagle) and numbers (404, 402, 421) that people were easily confused unless they regularly kept their noses in the trade magazines. Modifying a standard Cessna Pressurized 210 airframe with the installation of a Rolls-Royce (Allison) 250-B17F/2 gas turbine engine, is only the first step in what results in a totally re-manufactured aircraft, known as The Silver Eagle. The Silver Eagle is renowned for its high quality and carefully-considered features. ... Cessna's 414 is among a large group of aircraft headed for extinction. It's a brave and generous man who will hand over the controls of a new toy to a visiting scribe in advance of flying it himself. From learning to fly to flying your business, you’ll find your aircraft solution. In 104- degree F heat, RAM Aircraft sales manager Jim Allmon and I board N174DS with Stuber in tow. With the RAM overhaul you also get a heavy crankcase with the so-called seventh-stud modification; this provides another cylinder hold-down point and has proven effective in reducing case cracking. The various upgrades this Waco, Texas, company has applied to the double-breasted Cessnas could fill a phone book — in all, RAM has nearly 100 supplemental type certificates (STCs) and more than 300 parts manufacturing authority (PMA) approvals to its name. ©2020 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Cruise speed/endurance w/45-min rsv, std fuel (fuel consumption, ea engine). By the time we get sequenced to land at Phoenix Sky Harbor, Stuber is alight in anticipation of actually getting to fly his new toy, er, tool. My first inclination was to go new, sparing the maintenance headaches of a used airplane and secure in the knowledge that everything on the airplane should work. Pilot Jaromir Hammer flew the Cessna for approximately 1.2 mi (2 km). (RAM provides well-organized engine-operating tables with every conversion, so it's easy to find the right power setting and to have the appropriate correlating information handy — items like fuel flow and cylinder-head, oil, and exhaust-gas temperatures.). His patience, he says, has been buoyed by a great expectation that the investment will pay big dividends. At 65 percent, TAS averaged about 195 knots. Stuber wanted an airplane ready to go, without the headaches, without the running around. Initial climb is not breathtaking; no surprise, given the temperature. Even with the company is getting its feet wet in piston products again, there are no immediate plans to make any cabin-class piston twins to replace those being retired. Both engines come off and the airframe undergoes a thorough inspection. Exhaust manifold clamps and elbows have a 100-hour inspection requirement, but improved parts can be obtained through RAM Aircraft Corporation. But RAM doesn't exactly unbox the new cylinders and slap them on an engine. Sitting in the FBO at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Dan Stuber clutches the arms of his chair and speaks a bit anxiously about his most recent business transaction. It utilizes the 421's pressurized fuselage but is powered by nongeared Continental TSIO-520s similar to those used in the 402 and identical to those that powered the smaller 340. This high-altitude, high-temperature performance is the most dramatic demonstration of the new induction system's efficiency; the more efficient the system, the less inlet temperature rise at altitude, and hence the less manifold pressure needed to maintain a given amount of power. It's because of this rather limited load-carrying ability that many operators opt for some modifications. Easy Access removable metal cowlings for engine maintenance 7. The Rolls Royce powered Silver Eagle stands in a class by itself. Despite the fact that the engines appear to be located far outboard on the wings, their relatively low power output — coupled with the airplane's huge rudder — helps to reduce the chance of a VMC rollover. This airplane has been an ego trip, a delight to fly, and an unmatched business tool. Given the airplane's average of logging 200 or more flight hours per year, aircraft owners should have complied with most of the engine ADs or service bulletins, such as those requiring replacement of crankshafts made via the airmelt process. Cessna obviously got most everything right on the 150/152, even if some of … Top models include CARAVAN 208B GRAND, GRAND CARAVAN EX, CONQUEST II, CARAVAN 208, CONQUEST I, and P210 SILVER EAGLE. But that's what Stuber did. Moreover, the airplane feels as stable and solid at FL250 — actual density altitude near 29,000 feet — as at lower altitudes. CESSNA CONQUEST II Turboprop Aircraft For Sale - 14 Listings | … Over the course of five months, Stuber's company has cut checks totaling nearly $600,000 — all for a tool that Stuber has yet to see, much less put to good use. The Royal Turbine turboprop conversion is the latest of Conrad and Sadler’s brainchildren, and it takes as its foundation an airplane … Since most pressurized/turbocharged airplanes spend their useful life in the less-than-perfect environment of the flight levels, the 414's engines have had their share of problems. The TP 100 turboprop engine operating on 241 HP (180 kW) power and produced by PBS AEROSPACE is built into the Cessna 172T. Set to 75-percent power at FL250 (on an ISA plus 30-degree F day), the latest model makes the same power as the VI on an eye-opening 4.5 fewer inches of manifold pressure. Want to save some fuel? Simulator training is extremely valuable in exploring hazardous operations without endangering yourself or your airplane. Troubles normally associated with chrome — difficulty breaking in, for example — are overshadowed by the corrosion resistance of the treatment, according to RAM. Fuel flow clocks in at 36 gph per engine, right on the money. I would guess the turboprop is at least US$ 150k, maybe 200k. Enter the CESSNA DENALI single-engine turboprop, a brand-new high-performance aircraft that changes everything. The crankshaft is balanced (with drive gears in place) to tolerances a fraction of the factory standard. Inertia Separator System 9. But none of the current-production general aviation models could fill his needs — specifically, to get himself and as many as five employees from their Phoenix base to (among other destinations) Monterey, California, and Salt Lake City, stage lengths of about 500 nm each. The Cessna 425, known as the Corsair and later as the Conquest I, is an American pressurized Over Speed Governor 10. RAM has set this airplane up perfectly, so there's little slop in the engine controls and hardly any hunting of the manifold pressure, despite changes in rpm and mixture. The nose baggage and avionics bays of the long-snouted 414A are cavernous and can swallow skis, golf clubs, and lots of other ungainly cargo. OK, the Cessna 150/150 isn’t quite that spectacular, but it is worlds ahead of the standard Cessna 150 Commuter that so many pilots interned in. All other temps come down nicely — 375 degrees F on CHT and 190 degrees F oil temp. New Engine Mount 3. New Pratt & Whitney PT6A-21 Engine 2. Both models were rated at 310 hp at 2,700 rpm. 1978 Cessna 421 Prop Jet - N71RC - Aircraft For Sale - Indy Air Sales RAM's gauges measure EGT at the collector of three cylinders, not true turbine-inlet temperature. New Fuel Filter 15. From the sumptuous leather-lined cabin, Stuber is already grinning like a teenager in love. 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