Seneca Endo
Someone always relates the horror stories ... it covers every twin ever built! Don't be put off.
If a knowledgeable person does your endorsement, you will learn all the do's and don'ts. It used to be called training. I hope it's still around these days.
Like all aeroplanes, it has it's limitations, but still a fun to fly.
If a knowledgeable person does your endorsement, you will learn all the do's and don'ts. It used to be called training. I hope it's still around these days.
Like all aeroplanes, it has it's limitations, but still a fun to fly.
Join Date: Nov 2006
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A very experieced pilot once said to me that you can never land a Seneca twice the same way on purpose.
It is quite a docile plane to fly - the only twin easier is the P68. I have had 8 POB in a Seneca I (Quite legally too). Remember they have a Max Landing weight.
Hempels @ Archerfield might be able to do an endo or Mike Jones (Air Pioneer) in Mackay ... I guess it just depends where on the East coast you want to go.
It is quite a docile plane to fly - the only twin easier is the P68. I have had 8 POB in a Seneca I (Quite legally too). Remember they have a Max Landing weight.
Hempels @ Archerfield might be able to do an endo or Mike Jones (Air Pioneer) in Mackay ... I guess it just depends where on the East coast you want to go.
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Queensland
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Seneca is the best selling light twin on the market. The early girls with the KB donks had a 1500 TBO while the EB's had 1800 TB0. The Seneca 1 had 4 cyl Lycomings CIE6's. I personally, leading with my chin, thought the Seneca11 a great aircraft but with the wrong engines. Sure they have a fwd CoG (look at the location of the engines) and a zero fuel weight limit, and only a 4, maybe a small pax 5 seater, but overall a good, cheap to run private or business twin. Performance on one donk, as in all piston twins leaves a lot to be desired, but if flown and managed correctly performs ok.
Join Date: Mar 2004
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Peter Griffen,
Ever heard of ballast? 60 odd pounds in the baggage area and you are in CofG, just. (Seneca V)
Easy to land, if you use the trim properly! Some tendancy to nose gear first landings if you are 5-10 knots fast. So fly on speed and use the trim.
Z
Ever heard of ballast? 60 odd pounds in the baggage area and you are in CofG, just. (Seneca V)
Easy to land, if you use the trim properly! Some tendancy to nose gear first landings if you are 5-10 knots fast. So fly on speed and use the trim.
Z
Join Date: Apr 2001
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I have had 8 POB in a Seneca I (Quite legally too).
Six plus one extra (kids infants etc) makes seven?
With seats out (Parachute ops) can you exceed the designed seating amount???
Join Date: Mar 2007
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elevator authority
bit off topic but I heard a rumour that the twin comanche was nick-named the widowmaker due to the effect of its engine nacelles blanketing the elevator during the flare resulting in more than a few nose heavy landings.
Got ratings in both the above and the senica but never got the big call to consolodate em - aviation aye, you gotta love it.
(mabe my spelling held me back!)
Got ratings in both the above and the senica but never got the big call to consolodate em - aviation aye, you gotta love it.
(mabe my spelling held me back!)
At first I thought Senecas were difficult to land, then I had the pleasure of doing the worlds longest mail run for five weeks in VH-MEP. I soon learned how to land a Seneca and they are actually quite easy. The secret is as someone else already stated TRIM TRIM and more TRIM.
Join Date: Oct 2005
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The twin Comanche was never dubbed the widow maker. The marque has a laminar flow wing and a high angle of incidence, combined with a nose high stance. This causes the aerofoil to lose its lift rapidly in the flare ie the wing is near the stall if not stalled at that stage of landing. Piper STC'd a smaller nose wheel to counteract the problem which helped, however the answer is in the correct gate speed and the continuous use of the elevator trim (as mentioned in another post). Twin Comanches inhereted a bad name early in the model when the FAA insisted on VMCA demos being done at a relatively low altitude which resulted in a few stall/spin accidents and in their (FAA) wisdom made Piper increase the VMCA another 10 kts for safety.Piper then introduced the C/R model. IMHO and i have plenty of very experienced pilots who will agree with my statement, that the twin Comanche is the best LIGHT twin engined aircraft ever made and an absolutely excellent training platform. The Seneca, Seminole, Duchess, Cougar are not a scratch on a Comanche.
The bottom line on this thread is that anyone who has difficulty landing ANY aircraft, simply can't fly the thing properly. It gets back to training.
The bottom line on this thread is that anyone who has difficulty landing ANY aircraft, simply can't fly the thing properly. It gets back to training.
Join Date: Oct 2000
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Ah VH-MEP.....I remember doing my first IR Renewal in that beast....with RH in 1998. I thought the seneca was quite nice....although I only have about 2 hours in the thing.
Join Date: Jan 2007
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Ah Mr Griffin..........
VH - FIH I'm not sure. You can give a turd 6 layers of paint and an executive interior, but at the end of the day..................its still a turd
.
VH - FIH I'm not sure. You can give a turd 6 layers of paint and an executive interior, but at the end of the day..................its still a turd
.
