Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The worst thing about the Beechjet...

Hi All,


I get asked on the road all the time from my fellow pilots: How do I like the Beechjet (compared to the Citation I was flying)?


I have to admit it, I enjoy it. We never had to worry about exceeding the maximum airspeeds in a Citation, so it's nice to not be called a "Slow-tation" anymore.


One of the things I don't like about the Beechjet is the nose pin. This airplane can't be towed (see previous discussion about tugs) with it in, or it will damage the nose gear assembly. BUT the airplane cannot be taxied without it (Woe to the pilot who forgets to put it back...).


Removing and replacing it involves putting a pin through three holes that must line up exactly. The easiest way to do this is to just sit your butt down (hopefully it's not raining) and tug on one side of the tire until these holes line up - it may require you to push with your foot on the other side! Back and forth, push a little, pull a little, over and over until you can get the pin all the way through.

Needless to say, you definitely need to wash your hands after this procedure!

1 comment:

  1. That would be one of my only complaints about the beechjet. But get used to it there a several planes that have pins, some you have to pull out to two or some requrie you to insert a pin to tow. And I know first hand that the beechjet doesn't taxi to well without the pin:)

    ReplyDelete