Aztec mei needed
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Final Approach
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San_Diego_Pilot
Just here to say, congratulations! Looks like a beautiful planeHey guys- in the final steps of the purchase of our next plane, a Piper Turbo Aztec (picture attached) in the Fort Pierce area. I live in Charlotte. Any Aztec instructors in the south Florida or Charlotte areas?
Realistically speaking the Aztec might just be my favorite general aviation piston plane when all is said and done!
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Final Approach
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San_Diego_Pilot
.. to that point, how much twin or Aztec time do you have?
It's a remarkably docile and forgiving plane.. they were also fairly prolific for a long time so chances are if you walk into a local flight school and find an old timey instructor they probably have a few hundred hours in one and would love to help you out
My main observations:
(1) need loads of down trim on flap extension.. what works for me is to hold the electric trim button forward as I put the first notch of flaps in
(2) it's remarkably loud on takeoff.. I bring the power to 25 as soon as I realistically can and like to cruise at 23.. I don't find any real speed penalty but it's a heck of a lot quieter. Typical TAS I see, NA, is around 160-165 knots at 8,5 - 10,5 at 23 inches and reasonably leaned out
(3) I carry power in through the flare, ideally I slowly move the throttles back getting to idle just as the wheels touch
(4) at high AoA and low airspeeds I feel a bit of a throbbing or buffet in the yoke, I suspect this is prop wash hitting the elevator. Interestingly I did not notice this in that 310
(5) not sure if this is related to this specific airplane or it is all Aztecs but I find I can't cruise with the cowl flaps fully closed without some CHT issues, I generally have to drag them just slightly open. Oddly enough I can feel a fairly significant pitch and speed change whether they're open or closed
.. makes for a great IFR platform, I have plenty of actual time in ours and it's very stable, sort of just floats over the turbulence ..
Enjoy it!!
It's a remarkably docile and forgiving plane.. they were also fairly prolific for a long time so chances are if you walk into a local flight school and find an old timey instructor they probably have a few hundred hours in one and would love to help you out
My main observations:
(1) need loads of down trim on flap extension.. what works for me is to hold the electric trim button forward as I put the first notch of flaps in
(2) it's remarkably loud on takeoff.. I bring the power to 25 as soon as I realistically can and like to cruise at 23.. I don't find any real speed penalty but it's a heck of a lot quieter. Typical TAS I see, NA, is around 160-165 knots at 8,5 - 10,5 at 23 inches and reasonably leaned out
(3) I carry power in through the flare, ideally I slowly move the throttles back getting to idle just as the wheels touch
(4) at high AoA and low airspeeds I feel a bit of a throbbing or buffet in the yoke, I suspect this is prop wash hitting the elevator. Interestingly I did not notice this in that 310
(5) not sure if this is related to this specific airplane or it is all Aztecs but I find I can't cruise with the cowl flaps fully closed without some CHT issues, I generally have to drag them just slightly open. Oddly enough I can feel a fairly significant pitch and speed change whether they're open or closed
.. makes for a great IFR platform, I have plenty of actual time in ours and it's very stable, sort of just floats over the turbulence ..
Enjoy it!!
I have about 260 hours in seminoles and only an 4-5 hours in the Aztec. Insurance is still requiring 10 hours of dual time because most of my twin time is over a decade ago. Did a lot of researching and hunting for the right bird. Excited to start flying her soon. I’ll be sure to stop by my local flight schools to see if I can find someone with adequate aztec time
I'll bet that is a sweet ride!
I flew a bit in an early Apache 150 model, I remember it fondly even if it was grounded a lot of maintenance. I remember it being a nice comfortable airframe, just extremely under powered. I do have a personal preference for the old round nose and tail look, but none of that matters from inside the cockpit.....The turbo Aztec should be nice!
I flew a bit in an early Apache 150 model, I remember it fondly even if it was grounded a lot of maintenance. I remember it being a nice comfortable airframe, just extremely under powered. I do have a personal preference for the old round nose and tail look, but none of that matters from inside the cockpit.....The turbo Aztec should be nice!
champ driver
Line Up and Wait
That's a great looking Aztec.
The Aztec isn't the fastest or sleekest looking twin, not like the 310 or Baron, but it's a hauler. It's a pickup truck, it'll get the job done hauling a load out of shorter strips, or carry more ice than the 310 can. I flew a few Aztecs some years ago for charter and in all kinds of weather around Minnesota. Ours had the Metco tips with an extra 48 gallons. It's a solid IFR platform and a fairly comfortable cabin. I have maybe 600 hours hauling passengers and cargo all the way to both coasts.
If you fly yours for what it is, a good family hauler, you should be happy.
Good luck with your new plane.
This is one of the Aztecs I used to fly.
The Aztec isn't the fastest or sleekest looking twin, not like the 310 or Baron, but it's a hauler. It's a pickup truck, it'll get the job done hauling a load out of shorter strips, or carry more ice than the 310 can. I flew a few Aztecs some years ago for charter and in all kinds of weather around Minnesota. Ours had the Metco tips with an extra 48 gallons. It's a solid IFR platform and a fairly comfortable cabin. I have maybe 600 hours hauling passengers and cargo all the way to both coasts.
If you fly yours for what it is, a good family hauler, you should be happy.
Good luck with your new plane.
This is one of the Aztecs I used to fly.