![]() We used masks with built-in intercom connectors. You can hook up your mask (above 18,000 it’s required) or cannulas there. In the center of the ceiling just between the two rows of seats is the oxygen access panel, with four ports arranged logically enough with two ports (left and right) in front and in back. It indicates that the system is working and gives a readout of the amount of pressure available. ![]() The pilot can check the system’s status on a small console just forward of throttle. The G3 has a built-in oxygen system to help make managing O2 needs easier. Oxygen is the most critical consideration, especially at the airplane’s ceiling of 25,000 feet, where a pilot typically would have only three to five minutes of consciousness without supplemental oxygen. While the G3 Turbo’s performance numbers are impressive, there are additional demands on pilots who fly up in the flight levels, demands that shouldn’t be taken lightly. So for shorter trips, you can go really fast, while for longer trips, you can pull the power back and cruise at good true airspeeds for a very long time. ![]() And even though we’d been in the air for an hour already, we still had around four and half hours of flying time, or about 1,000 nm of no-wind range, left in the tanks. At 2500 rpm and a measly 14 gph, we were seeing a true airspeed of 197 knots. Instead we took a look at how best economy would look at that altitude, and it’s impressive. Which we could have done all the way to New Orleans if we’d wanted. But that was at 98 percent power, which requires a fuel flow of around 35 gallons per hour. It’s a roundabout way to do it, but not difficult.Īt 25,000 feet we got the best forward speed out of the G3, 222 knots true. Because there’s no indicated airspeed hold function on the autopilot, the S-Tec 55X, you need to guesstimate a vertical speed in order to arrive at a climb airspeed. We monitored the CHTs as we climbed, and they all stayed well below 380 degrees, which is below redline but still recommended. Up through 10,000 feet we maintained better than 1,000 fpm and 130 knots in the climb, and above that we were able to keep it climbing at 800 fpm all the way up to 250, on a day that was nearly 20 degrees hotter than standard. The winds up there were very light, just a few knots of a quartering tailwind, and there was no pressing meteorological need to go that high. On our way out to New Orleans, there really wasn’t a good reason to go at 25,000 feet. Cirrus estimates that when climbing to 25,000 feet, the lean of peak climb saves about five gallons of gas and increases the range by about 60 nm. Conversely, you can do a lean of peak climb, which gets you up at a slower rate of climb, roughly 600 fpm, but uses only 17.5 gph in the process. ![]() Best power-full throttle and full rich on the mixture-puts roughly 35 gallons an hour through the system. In the G3 the climb is accomplished one of two ways. We climbed out at 1,200 fpm and went to approach. After advancing the throttle as smoothly as I thought I needed to, but not quite as smoothly as I should have, we accelerated very quickly-gotta love that new prop-and we soon were at the rotation speed of 71 knots. Cirrus made the rear steps longer and lowered the handhold to keep it easy to get up on the higher-situated wing when boarding.Įven on the takeoff roll the feel of the airplane is nice, with the rudder and aileron controls being more fluid than on previous SR22s, again because of elimination of the interconnect. The G3 sits about three inches higher than previous models, and it employs the wide-chord composite Hartzell prop introduced last summer on the G2 Turbo. Two other noticeable differences are the length of the gear and the prop. And the fresh air vent is no longer situated on the wing root, a good, quick way to tell G2 from G3. There are new features on the wing, too, including better recognition and taxi lights, a longer, continuous TKS leading edge, with the stall strip deiced, as well, and improved aerodynamic shapes on the trailing edge of the airfoils. That’s because the new wing is lighter, to the tune of around 66 pounds, or around 11 gallons worth of weight. It’s a welcome improvement, especially since the added fuel, and, hence, range, comes without a resultant decrease in full fuel payload. The wingspan is the same, but the new wing features a longer internal spar, so it can have shorter tips, which freed up room internally for more fuel, an additional 11 gallons.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |