Page 17 - Volume12 Number 5

90-degree spaced “ears” of the clip that prevents the spring from being released from its tubular housing. If the shock link comes undone, you lose nose wheel steering and may end up with the wheel deflected fully to one side. That makes the after touchdown rollout very exciting!
3The third Gotcha is Loose Power Lever Friction Knobs. The vernier controls in Bonanzas, the one-friction-knob-controls- all-levers in Barons and Dukes ... because of this past experience, a lot of pilots transition into a King Air without really having been taught much about friction locks. I would estimate that over 50 percent of King Air pilots pay scant attention, if any at all, to their friction knobs’ settings. This isn’t good!
Concerning the two power levers on King Airs, do you realize that a fairly hefty spring is attempting to pull each one back to idle at all times? As with any spring, the further it is stretched, the more force it applies ... in this case, a force trying to return the power lever to idle.
If any work is done inside the cowling that involves the condition, power, or propeller cables, it is routine for the mechanic to turn the four cockpit friction knobs all the way counterclockwise, probably four or five complete 360-degree rotations, loosening them totally. By doing so, now he can move the engine-end of the cable easily, while the cockpit-end of the same control can move fore and aft with little resistance.
But woe be to the poor pilot who picks up the plane from the shop and does not do a thorough cockpit check, does not follow every checklist step, and who fails to retighten those power lever friction knobs! When his hand leaves the power levers to reach for the landing gear handle after liftoff, it is common now to find both power levers moving themselves back toward idle! In most cases, due to
MAY 2018
the shorter length of cable to the left engine than the right engine – and the resultant less resistance in the cable run – the left engine will lose more power than the right. For those pilots who notice the power lever movement, the problem is rather easily corrected ... the hand is moved back to the levers and returns them to the takeoff position. It can be almost comical to see the poor pilot trying to fly, keep the levers forward, get the gear handle up, and tighten the friction knobs all at the same time!
But if the operator does not notice this power lever migration toward idle, God help him! Suddenly the airplane is not climbing and accelerating as it should, rudder force is required to keep it straight, and autofeather (if installed) isn’t working! (Remember that autofeather is disarmed when either or both power levers move back.) I am positive that more than one fatal King Air takeoff accident has been caused by this very scenario.
To decrease the wear on the friction mechanism caused by moving the controls when the friction is tight, I personally fiddle with the friction knobs a lot ... having them rather loose on the ground and then making sure they’re snugged up prior to adding takeoff power. When setting propeller speed for climb or cruise, for me it is a three-step process: twist the friction knob a half-turn or so counterclockwise, move the propeller levers, then snug the knob back up. When acting as a co-pilot or instructor in the right seat, I always have the index and middle fingers of my left hand resting at the base of the power levers when they are being pushed up for takeoff by the left-seat pilot ... lightly enough that I won’t interfere with a possible abort, but firmly enough that there’s no way those levers are going to creep when the pilot’s hand leaves them to raise the gear or turn off the landing lights
Other pilots rarely ever change a friction setting and that’s fine, presuming they were set properly
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 15