Partenavia P68B - Any Good?

[fltcom]

Comments on the above - Good, bad or indifferent would be welcome.
Also any links to performance specs etc, would also be interesting.



Thanks

[172driver]

Looks fast, goes slow....

[2Donkeys]

Cramped inside, has a tendency to pick up ice where it matters - resulting in engine stoppage.

Limited useful load.

[YYZ]

Hit turbulence then you will hit your head in the tiny space provided up front!

It's the only aircraft that has ever taken blood from me.

YYZ

[Send Clowns]

Great aircraft. Pretty much same performance as a Seneca at low level (turbo charging keeps power in the Seneca) but burns more fuel to achieve it. Similar load and range. Handles beautifully in the air. On the ground can suffer shimmy and bounce! On flapless approaches the nose obscures the runway. Difficult to get into the pilot's seat, comfortable when there.

Has seatbelt to keep you from bumping yer head

[Malcolm G O Payne]

P68

Good single-engine performance.

[2Donkeys]

I'm not sure what you call good single-engine performance. It'll manage 100-200 fpm at MTOW on one engine if you aren't too high and it isn't too hot.

Unlike some aircraft which can be abused, you overload the Partenavia at your peril.

2D

[Sedbergh]

We used to have a company P68 flying out of Nairobi to Somalia - many years ago.

At MTOW at Nairobi it would have levelled out on one engine at about minus 2000 feet!

2 engines = twice the risk!

[stiknruda]

P68C Observer - a cautionary tale!

Was approached many years ago to take a tea company's 68C on a 3 hr flt from A to B in Africa. The "C" model is akin to flying a Bell 47 - you sit surrounded by perspex, it earned the name "Observer" because the view was stupendous.

Being ever so enthusiastic I jumped at the chance; another aircraft type, a new destination, accomodation and a few beers, then a ride back the following day in a KingAir. In those days, I was a gorgeous, fit, tanned Sky-God and I felt it only right to have been asked. It never occured to me that there were a dozen or so more qualified, more capable, certainly more experienced guys available on a quiet December Saturday morning.

After a comprehensive walk round, I had a decent briefing, cruise at 23"/2350, lean to 9.5gph, here's a copy of the flight plan. The gear stays down - just like a C172, approach at 85, last look 70, remember the destination is only 800yds long and is to the east of the third bend of the first tributary on the west once you cross the blown-up bridge - you have fuel for the trip plus an hour at 9.5 gph - DO NOT GET LOST, Muzima is expecting you at 1330 local.

With a little trepidation, I saddled up and taxied out, wearing typical African flying kit - veldskoens (dessie boots), khaki shorts and a short sleeved khaki cotton shirt. A pair of shades were clamped to my head with DCs. I was on my own, a two litre bottle of rapidly warming water, a Jeppesen chart, American ONC charts and a sketch of the strip.

The climb out was pretty uneventful and soon I was on my way at my assigned level of FL70 - the OAT was a pretty comfortable +19 and my groundspeed was slightly below plan. The callow youth in me thought, "Oh Good - more twin time to log".

After 45 mins, I really was beginning to get uncomfortable, the OAT was the same but the sun had risen a wee bit and was now burning through the perspex. I had all the vents open and I was sweating like Mark Oaten being asked about his sexuality.

At FL70 it was just getting a little bumpy - not bad but bad enough that the Sperry wing leveller was working hard. I was out of VHF range of my departure point and it would be some time before I could contact somewhere en-route to request a level change. I consulted the POH and tried to work out if I had enough fuel to increase my speed - but I was concerned about my slower than planned groundspeed and the fact that I was now estimating an arrival 25 mins later than planned the sensible thing to do would be to decrease speed!

Engines were running well, everything in the green, fuel gauges looked okay and my nav was pretty spot on - no GPS, no VOR just stop watch and compass. It really was hard to get seriously lost because the coastline was identifiable 25 miles to the east but calculating g/s was a little trickier because there was so few really identifiable features. Mile after mile of Łuck-all.

Now just over halfway into the trip I really was sweating - my water was half gone and I couldn't bring myself to drink any more just in case I needed it more urgently some time in the future. I'd removed my shirt to use as a sun shade and was beginning to rue the day that I'd accepted this trip! My mates were by the pool and had probably popped open their first cold one of the day!

I kept checking tank contents against expected burn and revised eta every 12 mins or as soon as I got an accurate fix and I was considering diverting for fuel but my g/s seemed to be improving. I'd calculated my PNR for that fuel diversion and as I was approaching it made a decision to continue to destination. This was not pressonitis, all the info I had said that I would make it with 40 mins reserve IF I could find it first time. The decision against the diversion really was influenced by the thought of a further 2 hours in this Italian aviating greenhouse - how the worm turns, just 2 hours ago I was gleeful about the extra few minutes of multi time that would swell my logbook!

Eventually, I reached top of drop, detached my khaki sun blind, turned off the wing leveller and trimmed forward. After a few minutes I could see the Zambezi river and a quick look at the map made me bank gently to the west. There was the blown bridge - the tributary was readily identifiable and I began following it north. I risked a couple of swalows of very warm water. As I descended it got hotter and hotter. I found the strip, landed uneventfully and taxied in. I finished the water as the engines were cooling down, put my shirt back on and exited the aircraft.

-------------------------

The next day I climbed out of the back of the B200, having flown it from the RHS all the way in just under an hour at a very comfortable FL280 with the aircon pack set to perfection. As I was entering the terminal a few of the guys who knew better asked me if sweating my balls off for 55 mins of unloggable Beech time, had really had been worth it! Well I never flew that aeroplane again but almost 15 years later I don't regret it!

[Malcolm G O Payne]

PARTENAVIA p68

I will concede that, on reflection, all my asymmetric was lightly loaded, but I was comparing it with the Rapide and Gemini where you were simply glad to maintain height. As far as handling under those circumstances try asking an ex-Meteor pilot how their legs felt after a session of single-engine circuit work.

[IO540]

Great writeup, stik.

I know nothing about the aircraft but one look at it suggests that a) if it flies as well as it looks it should be nice to fly, and b) that the single engine performance is going to be about the same as a TB20

There's always a tradeoff between visibility and getting hot when it's hot. Personally I prefer the visibility, and flying high when it's hot.

[Barcli]

yes great story Stik, an excellent read - also remember well the P68 " performance" in the alps - though cold and dense air still some memorable "incidents"
JP