10/26/2020 Transitioning from Light Twins to Turboprops (How Tough Could It Be?

) - AVweb

Transitioning from Light Twins to Turboprops (How

Tough Could It Be?)
Raytheon/Beechcraft is the manufacturer of both the Duchess light piston twin and the Super King Air 300 and 350
twin turboprop models. Both are tricycle-gear aircraft that sport an engine on each wing and a dramatic "T" tail. In
either plane, if you select a climb attitude, the VSI will register a climb. If you bank left, the DG will rotate. Lose an
engine and you will encounter asymmetric thrust. You're competent in your light twin. How tough could it be to
upgrade to Jet A? AVweb's Scott Puddy recently went through FlightSafety International's Super King Air 300/350
type rating course. Here's a few things he remembers.

R. Scott Puddy July 10, 2002

The BE-76 Duchess is a 3,900-pound airplane with seating for four (including crew). Power
is by Lycoming at 180 horsepower per side. At recommended cruise power settings, it’s good
for about 750 nm (with reserves) at around 150 KTAS at 10,000 feet.

The BE-300 Super King Air is a 14,000-pound airplane which is certified to carry up to 15 people
(including crew) but is usually configured with seating for eight. Power by Pratt & Whitney Canada
is 1,050 shaft horsepower per side assisted by 158 lbs per side of jet thrust from the exhaust for a
total of 1,113 equivalent shaft horsepower per side. At normal cruise power settings, it’s good for
about 1,600 nm (with reserves) at around 300 KTAS at FL300.

Engines

The Duchess…

The Duchess uses the venerable Lycoming O-360 four-cylinder reciprocating engine. It’s
a bulletproof powerplant, familiar to anyone who’s flown a mix of GA singles. A pair of
them will sip 100LL at the leisurely rate (compared to the King Air) of 17 gph (102 pph) in normal
cruise. With four on board at 150 KTAS, the consumption rate is about 0.17 lbs./passenger mile.

…The Super King Air

The Super King Air 300/350 uses the reverse-flow, modular, free-turbine Pratt &
Whitney PT6A-60A turboprop powerplant.

"Reverse-flow" means that the air enters at the rear of the engine,
flows forward through the gas generator (compressor and
combustion) section, through the power section, and exits at the front. "Free-turbine" means that the
propeller is not connected via a drive shaft to the back half of the engine. Energy is transferred from
the gas generator section to the power section by the forward flow of air through the power turbines
(just like the old "Fluid Drive" transmission in your grandfather’s Buick except that air, not
transmission fluid, is doing the work).

The free-turbine design is less efficient than a direct shaft-drive design, but the PT6A has diehard
supporters because of its offsetting benefits. The engine is easy to light off and suffers fewer hot
starts because the starter/generator doesn’t have to rotate the huge four-blade propeller in order to
get the fire going out back. The design also allowed Pratt to build the engine in two bolt-together
modules (hence "modular"). The power section is easily disconnected from the gas generator section
which helps keep maintenance costs under control. Finally, it’s less noisy than the old Garrett
"grenades," now marketed by Honeywell.

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A pair of Pratts consume about 590 lbs. per hour of Jet A in cruise at FL300. With eight on board and
cruising at 300 KTAS, the burn rate is about 0.25 pounds per passenger mile.

Engine Start
Starting the Duchess is just like starting any other Lycoming O-360-powered GA
airplane. You just do it twice.

Ever wanted to burn up $25,000 in six seconds? Here’s your chance. If ITT (interstage
turbine temperature) exceeds 1,000 degrees Centigrade for more than five seconds
during the start sequence, someone gets to pay for a hot section tear-down and inspection.

The number one concern at light off is the chance of a "hot start." Turbine engines depend on a
cushion of air to cool the combustion chamber. Only about 40 percent of the energy generated
through combustion is used to enhance forward motion. The remaining 60 percent is used to
compress air and drive it through the engine. Further, only 25 percent of the compressed airflow is
combusted. The remaining 75 percent is used to center the flame in the combustion chamber, for
internal cooling or is dumped overboard. It doesn’t sound efficient but that’s how it works. If there is
insufficient airflow to keep ITT under control (which usually occurs because a tired battery isn’t
keeping the compressor RPMs up) you’ve got a hot start.

The secondary concern is the chance of a "hung start." The PT6A compressor section consists of four
sequential compressors (stages). Three axial stages (which look like pinwheels or hybrids of normal
kitchen fans) feed the final centrifugal stage. At lower RPMs, the axial stages are more efficient at
providing air than the centrifugal stage is at receiving it. To prevent a high-pressure bottleneck and
consequent compressor stall of the axial stages, there is a compressor bleed valve that dumps the
excess air overboard. If that valve sticks in the closed position, the bottleneck will occur, compressor
RPM (N1) won’t make it past 32%, the axial stages will stall, and the poor old PT6A will be shaking
and baking.

The starting process therefore commands the pilot’s complete attention. It’s about a 20-second drill.
The first half consists of a well-rehearsed scan of a several indicators to confirm adequate and
appropriate battery power, engine lubrication, ignition, N1 and fuel flow. Then comes light off and all
eyes are focused on the ITT and N1 gages (with one hand poised to move the condition lever to "Fuel
Cut Off") until rollback of ITT temps and an advance of N1 through 50% confirm a normal start.

Then, just like in the Duchess, you do it all over again.

Propellers
On the Duchess, propeller RPM is controlled by the
standard governor with rotating flyweights that raise
or lower a pilot valve depending on prop RPM. In an underspeed condition, the pilot valve rises,
opening the valve that causes governor oil to flow to the prop hub, the prop blades to flatten, and the
RPMs to increase. An overspeed condition works in converse. Finally, since it’s a trainer, there’s also a
nitrogen accumulator to assist in unfeathering a prop in flight for those occasions when you were
"just kidding" when you feathered it in the first place.

Contrary to the constant-speed systems on light singles, governor oil pressure moves the propeller
blades toward fine pitch. That way the blades move to coarse (and feather) when you lose an engine

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(and oil pressure). A centrifugal latch pin assembly prevents the blades from twisting to feather when
the engine is shut down. That makes the next start an easier proposition.

The propeller system on the Super King Air is similar but sports a couple extra layers of
bells and whistles. Propeller RPM is controlled by the primary governor, which is exactly
like the one you’re used to and has a governing range of 1,450 RPM to 1,700 RPM.

The first layer of complexities arises from the need to provide systems redundancy. There are two
additional governors that back-up the primary governor to protect against propeller overspeeds. The
hydraulic overspeed governor looks and acts just like the primary governor except that it has only
one setting — 1,768 RPM. If the primary governor fails, the overspeed governor will dump oil
pressure from the propeller hub as necessary to maintain 1,768 RPM.

The second backup is the fuel-topping governor. In normal forward flight, the fuel-topping governor
kicks in at 106 percent of the RPM value selected by the pilot (1,802 RPM with the prop levers
forward). In the event of a 106-percent overspeed, a valve reduces air pressure in the line that sends
P-3 bleed air to the fuel control unit (FCU) sensor. The FCU is misled to believe that less air is flowing
through the engine and that there is a consequent need to reduce the volume of fuel it is delivering to
the burner can. The fuel-topping governor accomplishes automatically what GA pilots are supposed to
do manually — it reduces engine power until prop RPMs are within an acceptable range.

The second layer of complexities arises because the minimum blade angle acceptable for flight is not
acceptable for ground operations and visa versa. For flight operations, the low pitch stop is 13
degrees. Anything less could lead to excessive drag and pitch-down attitudes. For normal ground
operations, the low pitch stop is reduced to 1 degree. Anything more and you’d smoke the brakes to
keep taxi speeds under 50 mph at the minimum RPM required to avoid the resonance range.

There is a third range of pitch settings for ground fine (down to -2 degrees) and a fourth for reverse
pitch for engine braking action (down to -14 degrees). This is all accomplished with the ground low
pitch solenoid, the beta valve and a system of rods, levers, springs, a carbon block and a feedback
ring which is impossible to explain without a functional model of the system. Suffice it to say that,
compared to the Duchess where the low pitch stop is simply the unit’s mechanical limit, it is an
intricate device.

The one complication that doesn’t exist is a centrifugal latch pin assembly to prevent the props from
feathering on shutdown. It’s a free-turbine design, so the PT6A doesn’t care whether or not the props
are feathered when you throw the start switch.

Fuel Systems
The Duchess carries 51.5 gallons of fuel in each wing for a total capacity of 103 gallons
(618 lbs.). It’s a pretty basic system except for the eight fuel drain locations and the
crossfeed system.

Each tank feeds the engine on that wing unless crossfeed is selected (single-engine operations only).
To crossfeed from left to right the left fuel selector must be "Off." Then it’s simply right auxiliary
pump "On," right selector "Crossfeed," right auxiliary pump "Off." The engine-driven fuel pump on the
right engine will draw fuel from the left tank.

The Super King Air carries 3,611 lbs. of fuel, which is the equivalent of the Duchess
loaded with full fuel, two adults up front and junior in the rear. Fuel is divided between

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two main tanks (which actually consist of ten separate wing cells and two nacelle tanks) and two
auxiliary tanks. Although that all sounds complicated, the wing cells dutifully gravity feed into their
respective nacelle tanks without pilot input. The major complications are auxiliary fuel usage and
crossfeed operations.

When you start talking about the location of 3,611 lbs. of weight
King Air cockpit
in an airframe, the design engineers start to care about where
you put it. In the case of the King Air, the engineers want the
weight out on the wings to reduce bending loads so auxiliary fuel usage is a LIFO (last-in-first-out)
operation. No fuel in the auxiliary tanks unless the mains are full.

Because of wing dihedral, the auxiliary tanks are downhill from the nacelle tanks, so a system is
needed to motate that fuel uphill to the engine. That is accomplished by the motive flow system.
When the aux tanks have fuel, the motive flow valve is open so that fuel from the main tanks is
routed through a venturi siphon pump in the aux tanks. Courtesy of Dr. Bernoulli, the fuel stream
sucks up Jet A from the aux tank until a sensor detects that the tank is empty and closes the motive
flow valve.

Crossfeed operations serve the same function in the Super King Air as they do in the Duchess and in
much the same way. The differences are a variety of valves that automatically open or close when
you throw the switch and the corresponding annunciators that confirm the status of the valves. You
don’t need to know all that now, but you will before you can fly the plane.

There are a couple other issues relating to the differences between types of fuel and operating
environments. For example, Jet A is heavier than avgas and suspends water much more readily.
Suspended water supports the growth of micro-organisms. If your fuel sample looks like it was taken
from a fraternity swimming pool, it’s time to add some biocide. You may also need to add some Prist
if you’re operating in temperatures below -40 degrees F.

Electrical Systems
Depending on the year of manufacture, the Duchess has one or two batteries and two
alternators feeding 12 or 28 volts into a three-bus electrical system. There are current
limiters, circuit breakers and a fuse to protect each bus from electrical failures elsewhere in the
system. The starters run off the battery bus. All other equipment is powered by the number one (left)
or number two (right) bus. They receive current from their respective alternators but are tied
together to facilitate load-sharing during normal operations.

There are two connections between the left and right busses.
Both busses tie into the battery bus through lines that are
protected by current limiters and the ISO circuit breakers. There is also a direct bus-to-bus
connection that is protected by the bus-tie fuse. A short circuit in either bus is supposed to pop the
same-side ISO breaker and blow the bus-tie fuse before the excess current fries the opposite bus or
its associated equipment.

The status of the ISO circuit breakers is apparent on a visual inspection. A thorough pre-flight will
include a check to assure that the bus-tie fuse has not blown.

In the Super King Air, a 24-volt nickel-cadmium battery and a pair of 28-volt
starter/generators feed DC power into five busses and two inverters. Most of the
electrical systems draw 28 volt DC current from one or the other of the busses. The "glass cockpit"
avionics equipment draws 115 volts AC from whichever inverter the pilot has selected.

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Most systems, including the number one avionics bus, draw from the "triple-fed" bus — so named
because it is powered by the battery and both starter-generators. All the lines feeding the triple-fed
bus are protected by current limiters and diodes. The diodes make the triple-fed bus an electronic
roach motel — electrons can come in but they can’t get get out. That’s a good thing when you’re
trying to isolate electrical systems.

The other major DC systems are powered by the left generator bus, the right generator bus or the
center bus. Under normal conditions, the busses are tied together. Each line is guarded by current
limiters and each bus tie relay is controlled by a Hall Effect Device (HED). The HEDs function
something like the GFI circuit in your bathroom. They open the circuit IMMEDIATELY in the event of a
power surge. They accomplish that by sensing the magnetic field upstream in the line. A surge in
current causes a surge in the magnetic field which opens the bus tie before the excess current can
wreak its havoc. A thorough preflight check of a Super King Air will include a check of all the current
limiters and bus ties.

Environmental And Pneumatic Systems

In the Duchess, cooling is by ambient air. Heating is accomplished with a Janitrol gas-
fired heater that converts Avgas into BTUs. All you need to know is that it burns two-
thirds of a gallon per hour off the right tank. Management of cabin pressure is simple enough. At
8,000 feet MSL you have an 8,000-foot cabin; at 12,000 feet MSL you have a 12,000-foot cabin. You
get the idea…

The King Air is known-icing certified for operations up to FL350 and, therefore, has
systems to pressurize and heat the cabin, melt the ice off the brakes, inflate the de-ice
boots, retract the de-ice boots and pressurize the landing gear hydraulic fluid. They all run off P-3
bleed air.

"P-3" is a reference to the location in the PT6A where the bleed air valve is located — just
downstream from the third compressor stage. P-3 bleed air is compressed to 90-120 PSI and (as a
consequence of having been compressed) is heated to up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit. The BTUs are is
used for brake deicing, defogging windows, and warming the cabin. The PSIs are used to pressurize
the cabin, inflate the de-ice boots, and pressurize the hydraulics. At the back end of the system, the
P-3 air is exhausted through a venturi that supplies the vacuum pressure for retracting the de-ice
boots and powering the vacuum gyros.

All these systems require close study, the cabin pressurization system in particular. Ever felt like
killing one of the ground crew? Just have him open the airstair door with a couple PSI residual cabin
pressure. There are a lot of square inches to that door and it could flatten him like a pancake. Pilots
who aren’t feeling homicidal will open the pilot storm window to equalize cabin pressure before
anyone gets close to the door.

Annunciators
Standard GA. Duchess panel

With all its equipment and associated caution and warning lights, the annunciators in a
Super King Air are treated as a distinct system. There are so many of them that Beech
installed annunciators to warn you of an annunciator. There are master warning and master caution
annunciators, 13 warning annunciators, 20 caution annunciators, and 17 advisory annunciators. They
tell you exactly what is going on, but only if you have a comprehensive understanding of the systems.

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For example, a "L No Fuel XFR" light might mean that you should select "Aux Transfer Override" on
the left side to correct for a failed circuit card in the auxiliary fuel transfer system. However, a "L Fuel
XFR" light is also a normal auxiliary fuel system indication if: 1) there is low fuel pressure on that
side, 2) the ignition system is energized on that side (manually or through auto-ignition), or 3) fuel is
being crossfed to that side. Got it? One down — 49 to go.

Pre-flight Checks
It takes a bit longer to get a light twin into position-and-hold than a GA single because
you have two engines and two props to check (plus feather checks). Still, you can
measure the time with a stop watch.

You can use an hourglass to time a thorough first-of-the-day pre-flight check of a Super
King Air. At FlightSafety, a first run through the pre-flight checklist in 45 minutes is
considered to be a good time.

Single-engine Operations
"Everything Forward; Everything Up; Identify; Verify; Feather; Secure"

Passers-by probably thought you were nuts as you walked around chanting that mantra during your
initial multi training. Lose an engine on a light twin and you need to get the unproductive propeller
feathered post haste in order to maintain any semblance of performance. If it happens right after
rotation, there may not even be time for the checklist. If the nose yaws to the left, feather the left
prop — now. "Yaw left — feather left." "Yaw right — feather right."

Here’s one place where all those extra systems pay off: The Super King Air’s
autofeather and rudder boost systems make dealing with engine failures a snap. (Both
systems are required to be operational for flight.)

When armed, the autofeather system senses the difference between

King Air cabin
the torque outputs of the two engines. If the prop RPMs are above
88 percent, the operating engine is producing at least 17 percent
torque, and the inoperative engine’s torque falls below 10 percent, autofeather feathers the prop on
the inoperative engine.

The rudder boost system in the BE-300 senses the volume of air flowing through each engine. When
the difference in P-3 bleed air exceeds 40 PSI, the system applies up to 107 lbs. of rudder pressure
toward the operating engine. Without this system, the rudder pressure required to overcome
asymmetrical thrust at Vmc could exceed 150 LBS.

These systems are the reason that mere mortals can handle V1 cuts in an aircraft producing 1,113
ESHP/side. When an engine fails at rotation, the rudder boost system will automatically lead with
about a 50 percent rudder input toward the operating engine. The autofeather system then feathers
the propeller on the inoperative engine. The pilot "follows" the rudder boost system by applying full
rudder on the forward rudder peddle and follows the flight director command bars which have been
preset to the correct climb attitude. That yields a blue-line climb. Confirm that the inoperative
propeller has feathered, climb to 1,000 AGL, and take another look at the world. It’s like magic.

So…
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There you have it in a nutshell — a very tiny nutshell. We’ve skipped over some major systems,
including the flap, landing gear, instrumentation, navigation, emergency oxygen, and fire suppression
systems, and have given scant attention to others. Still, you should have an idea of what you’re in for
if you have a hankering to fly turboprops. It’s all about mastering the systems and there are a whole
lot of systems to a Super King Air 300/350.

Underneath all that, it’s still an airplane — a really great airplane.

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