PT6's/Turboprops

[661 KTAS]

Hi Folks,

Ill shortly be upgrading from piston twins to a turbine twin and am after some info on the PT6 (PT6A-112) or just turboprops in general.

Does anyone know of any good sites or reference books that can give me a good general knowledge on the operation of these engines ?? Im sure most of the nitty-gritty will be covered in the ground school but Id just like to do as much reading on the subject as I can beforehand.

Any tricks that a piston jockey needs to know ?? Starting etc ??

Any info would be much appriecated.

Thanks

[zerozero]

Congratulations on the upgrade!

Somebody may be able to offer some real good advice if they knew which plane you'll be flying.

My only PT6 experience is in the Cessna Caravan. I imagine every installation is a little different.

Though I only flew the Caravan for 350 hours I have a very favorable impression of the PT6. It's easy to start (as long as it's not too cold [<-30C]), easy to manage (but will "spool down" when idling too long), and almost bullet-proof.

Also it's fairly easy to over-torque on takeoff if you're not paying attention. Maybe you've been flying turbocharged piston twins with an automatic wastegate. Setting power on the PT6 will take some attention.

I hope you get some better feedback.
Good luck.

[Gerund]

661 KTAS

Good for you. The book you ought to buy is "The Turbine Pilot's Flight Manual" by Gergory N. Brown and Mark J. Holt.

The book is billed on the back as 'Everything a pilot is expected to know when transitioning to a turbine-powered aircraft'.

It is an exceptionally well written and clear book with chapters on:

Turbine Engine and Propellor Systems
Turbine Aircraft Power Systems
Major Aircraft Systems
Dedicated Aircraft Systems
Limitations
Normal Procedures
Emergency and Abnormal Procedures
Performance
Weight and Balance
Airplane, Handling, Service and Maintenance
Navigation, Communication, and Electronic Flight Control Systems
Hazard Avoidance Systems
Operational Information
Weather Considerations for Turbine Pilots

It is a very practical book (A4 softback) and is little use for examination style study. A bonus is that it is geared more for the transition to turboprops rather than turbojets.

In your position you won't regret buying this book!:D

Good luck.