Is a PC12 any worse than any other machine in a crosswind? Just watched one take off with a bit of a head/crosswind (Maybe 20 knots?) and after it lifted off it went from side to side angle of bank maybe 30 degrees till a couple of hundred feet of the deck. The strip is a bit awkward with some timber making things interesting at times but I wouldn't have thought it would have that much trouble. Was the pilot just giving the pax a good look close to the strip?
Last edited by Super Cecil; 20th Feb 2010 at 03:57.
Reason: sbelink
Maybe it's the stupid "wart" on the leading edge of one wing that houses the WX RADAR. It's such a beautiful aircraft but the wart ruins it with the blatant asymmetry. (Yeah, I know it's the most practical position.)
It does NOT like crosswinds, has a VERY low crosswind limit with flaps - 15kt @ flaps 40, 20 kt @ flaps 30. Flap failure = no takeoff; LDR is increased by 80%.
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Watched a RFDS PC12 driver try three times one night to land in a strong crosswind & in the end he gave up & went home. His comment to me as he departed was that he kept on running out of rudder. Couldn't help but think that had it been a Kingair there wouldn't have been a problem.
..................ahhh rats & here I was 'tinking oh goody another PC thread worth bagging! Kidding of course Perhaps it's the large high aspect ration wing on the SINGLE ENGINED plane that makes it more difficult to land in x-winds? Gliders don't like strong x-winds either then again they don't fly IFR at night in the poo!!!! Chatting to the brave pilots who fly these planes I get the idea that they run out of puff in the yaw control. Interesting to know that flap failure means no go. It obviously does in any plane actually if it's known prior to T/off but given a life threatening situation & declaring a mercy flight the risk in the PC would be too high. Now "GG" lets not upset the SE lovers here, we all, know how they love their very all wx capable plane that's as safe as eggs
This bloke looked like he was doing a falling leaf (Look it up kiddies) only climbing instead of stalling and going it looked like 30 degrees bank or more straight to 30 degrees the other side. This started as soon as he lifted off with the first bank being very close to the ground. It looked more pilot induced to me, like he pulled it off too slow and had no aileron control. The strip does appear short but is more than enough for one of those things, he was off the ground in maybe a third of the strip.
Watched a RFDS PC12 driver try three times one night to land in a strong crosswind & in the end he gave up & went home. His comment to me as he departed was that he kept on running out of rudder. Couldn't help but think that had it been a Kingair there wouldn't have been a problem.
The PC12 is not the first aircraft I have flown with a rudder/aileron interconnect and although that feature makes for nice handling/feel most of the time, it works against you in a crosswind. For example as the wing is held down into wind, yaw is also applied in that direction - the opposite of what you want, so you have to work harder on the rudder to keep the nose straight. The interconnect on the PC12 is progressively increased with flap - yet another reason why less flap makes for easier control in strong x-wind. The crosswind factors in the flight manual are maximum 'demonstrated' values - also worth keeping in mind.
but doen't the Bonza have interconected aileron and rudder
Yes it does! Allows you to roll it into a steep turn with your feet flat on the floor and the ball centered.
The Bo has a 17 kt demonstrated max X-wind component, but I have landed the FTDK well above that. A burst of power puts more air over the tail-plane surfaces and gives a little more rudder effect.
That said ........ and I must confess that I have once come sooooooo close to loosing the FTDK in a left x-wind TO at Karumba soon after I got it that it haunts me to this day!
And the FTDK also has a clever little box down the back, full of mechanical bits that tell that V tail whether it's supposed to be a rudder, or elevators, or both. I don't know how it works, but it does that job very well.
It's been quite a while since I have flown a Series 9, from memory this does not have the interconnecting aileron/rudder, I believe it was not until the Series 10 or 10A.
So, if it had big square wing tips, it was probably a Series 9.
To Wally you big nay sayer , pretty much had the choice between a B200 and PC12 everday, I would take the PC12 everytime, the PC12 is superior to the B200 in all bar one respect .
There are not too many single engine aircraft that have 1200 HP bolted in the front and this comes with some natural yawing effects.
