Page 27 - Volume 11 Number 6

The two Avco Lycoming air-cooled, O-360-A1G6D four-cylinder, opposed piston engines were each rated at 180 horsepower and were fitted with carburetors, not fuel injection, to reduce costs. The Hartzell two- blade, constant-speed propeller on the left engine rotated clockwise, while the right engine’s propeller rotated counter-clockwise. That arrangement essentially eliminated the long-standing “critical engine” scenario and eased pilot workload with one engine inoperative.
In terms of performance, the Model 76 compared favorably with its single-engine senior, the six-place Beechcraft Model A36 Bonanza, and was inserted into the Beechcraft product line between the A36 and the Model 58 Baron. A sampling of approved airspeeds associated with flying the Duchess include:
Vne (never exceed airspeed): 194 KIAS
Maximum speed: 171 KIAS
Maximum cruising speed, 6,000 feet altitude: 166
KIAS
Stall speed, power at idle RPM, flaps fully extended:
60 KIAS
The Duchess had an excellent, two-engine rate of climb at sea level of 1,248 feet per minute, but decreased to only 235 feet per minute at maximum gross weight with one-engine inoperative. Service ceiling 19,650 feet with both engine operating, falling to 6,170 feet with one engine inoperative.
Beech Aircraft marketing and management officials considered offering a turbocharged version of the Duchess (unofficially designated the Model 76TC). One airplane was modified by installation of two Avco Lycoming TO-360 turbocharged engines that required modification of the cowlings to accept the turbocharger installation. First flight occurred on January 31, 1979, piloted by Vaughn Gregg who was accompanied by flight test engineer Bryan Mee. The Model 76TC made 43 flights and accumulated 34.4 hours in the air before the project was cancelled. The final flight occurred on July 10, 1979.4
Initial orders for Duchess were strong, with 72 aircraft built in the first year of production followed in 1979 by 213. Production continued at a slower pace during the next few years until 1982 when production was terminated because of tough market conditions. A total
B Flying the Beechcraft Skipper
eginning in 1979, the Beech Flying Club operated The usual scenario went like this: After a thorough the Skipper alongside the Model C23 Sundowner ground school session discussing spin entry in the for training student pilots. The Skipper’s cabin was Skipper and the salient points of spin recovery, we
spacious compared to that of a Cessna 150/152 (which I had flown for years) and about equal to that of the Piper Tomahawk. Visibility outside from the cockpit was excellent, and the large doors made entry and exit easy. The instrument panel was well laid out, and the centrally-located power quadrant housed the throttle, mixture and carburetor heat controls.
The wide main landing gear track, coupled with the steerable nose gear, facilitated learning how to maneuver the airplane on the ground, and the brakes were more than adequate for the flight training task. Although the Model 77 had a maximum gross weight of only 1,650 pounds, I often wished the Avco Lycoming O-235 engine had another 35 horsepower, particularly on hot summer days in Kansas.
I usually flew one-hour training sorties with fuel tanks half full to help performance, but the airplane’s rate of climb was always marginal with two people on board, often managing no more than 100-150 feet per minute (fortunately, that part of Kansas was flat!). Once airborne, however, the Skipper flew well. The student usually mastered shallow and steep turns quickly, followed by slow flight and introduction to stalls. For these maneuvers the Skipper was a superb flight training platform, but once again, I wished it had more horsepower. Climbs to higher altitudes were a slow process. That unfortunate characteristic became more evident when it came time to give the student optional spin recovery training.
donned backpack parachutes and took off, climbing to a minimum of 6,000 feet (8,000 was preferred, for safety’s sake). After advising local ATC of our intention to conduct multiple spins in the practice area, I demonstrated how to make the Skipper spin:
Power to idle.
Maintain altitude.
At the stall break, hold the control wheel full aft,
wings level, being careful not to release back pressure. Apply full left rudder.
When the airplane reluctantly rolled left, apply full
right aileron to induce a cross-control stall.
The Skipper would roll sharply into the incipient spin,
but only if the flight controls were held in position. The spin stabilized nicely after the second turn. Rotation was rapid, and I normally allowed up to five or six turns before initiating recovery. The next steps
happened in fast succession to terminate the spin: Full opposite rudder to stop rotation.
Apply brisk forward pressure to the control
wheel to break the stall.
When rotation stopped and the wings were flying
again, maintain wings level and slowly apply back pressure to resume straight and level flight, being careful not to exceed airspeed limitations.
A majority of my students elected to take the spin training and benefitted from it, but I always emphasized that flying the airplane properly was the best way to avoid a stall/spin incident.
JUNE 2017
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 25