I've posted this on D&G, my usual hangout, but throught I might trawl here too, just in case...
OK, so I done gone and done it again. Bought another toy. (Reckon I'll get my internet disconnected after this
A very nice Cessna 340 is being added to the fleet, initially in the US, and then back to NZ. Yes,it checks out very well mechanically, and yes, it's very well priced, given the twin market. I know there's a lot of wisdom here, so thought I'd ask if anyone knows much about these questions:
1. Short field ops. I know, I know - it's not possible, per se, and it's sure not a short field machine. Still. Anyone know what the shortest possible/reasonable/safe takeoff would be for a 340 operating at very low weights? Say, 2 people and 40 gallons/250 pounds fuel. Published take off is 1600 feet or so, but that's at full gross, without VGs, and (I think) involves waiting till the machine is at 90 knots or so before rotating. Anyone with real world experience able to answer this one? A related query is:
2. If you take off at the slowest possible speed, in a fairly powerful twin, is it true that a catastrophic engine failure means you could get into a VMC roll even if you had perfect reactions, in terms of pulling both throttles and applying full opposite rudder? A very experienced instructor and friend of mine says this is the case. He has a lot more experience than me, but still, I'm surprised. I'm willing to "pull the other one" and accept whatever I get if I have a low speed engine failure on take off, but was surprised to hear that no matter what, I'll be heading into the trees upside down. What do you guys think? Is my instructor friend correct?
3. Training. Amongst other machines, my current twin is an old Aztec. The 340 is, of course, a big step up. I can and probably will train in the US. Is Flight Safety (Kansas/Long Beach) overkill? What's a sensible expectation re syllabus and training time for the transition? I'm not looking for shortcuts here...but I'm only VFR, and I wonder if FS's training is skewed too much to IFR?
4. Getting her down to NZ. Am thinking, to be conservative, that the wisest thing to do is take the wings off and pack her into a 40 foot container. Anyone know a. how much of a big deal it is to de-wing & pack such a big aircraft (is it even possible??) and b. contacts for 40 foot containers & shipping from US to NZ?? Of course, a good contact for shipping US to Oz would be fine, cos I'm sure they can get a big box to our little country too...
Any help and all thoughts would be welcome. If anything I've said sounds dumb, well, I guess I'll find out soon enough - but would appreciate the thoughts of them what know...