Question to RW and Flight Sim Pilot ?
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dobleaa_nales
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2020 10:16 pm
Question to RW and Flight Sim Pilot ?
Good day everyone. My question is can the KA350I land on an airstrip? If so are there any special guidance or procedure to do so?
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KenG
- Posts: 157
- Joined: Sat May 09, 2015 2:33 am
Re: Question to RW and Flight Sim Pilot ?
Define airstrip.
Yes the B350 can land on austere airfields and I trained a number of crews who land the airplane on gravel and dirt strips.
There are no specific AFM procedures for landing on other than a hard surface.
In the real world, we want to carefully consider the surface you are going to land on to make certain it can handle the weight of the 350. If the crews cannot specifically check the location prior to operations then it is recommended you have someone who is familiar with King Air austere operations to check the landing strip.
Muddy or soft grass should be avoided. Snow-covered or ice should be avoided (unless groomed for airplane operations with aircraft weighing up to 15,000 lbs.)
Potholes are unacceptable and can damage the landing gear.
Loose gravel can ding the propellers.
The best strips are compacted dry earth or compacted gravel.
I recommend a full flap landing going in to keep the touchdown speed as low as possible. I do not recommend reverse as it can create a dust cloud in front of the airplane and damage the propellers. Ground fine should be enough.
On takeoff, I recommend Flaps Approach, again to get off the ground in the shortest distance and with minimum speed.
That being said most operators don't want to risk damaging their $6 million investment, most of the places I hear about King Airs doing austere field ops are in South America and Africa. IIRC the Royal Flying Doctors use B350s in austere field ops.
Yes the B350 can land on austere airfields and I trained a number of crews who land the airplane on gravel and dirt strips.
There are no specific AFM procedures for landing on other than a hard surface.
In the real world, we want to carefully consider the surface you are going to land on to make certain it can handle the weight of the 350. If the crews cannot specifically check the location prior to operations then it is recommended you have someone who is familiar with King Air austere operations to check the landing strip.
Muddy or soft grass should be avoided. Snow-covered or ice should be avoided (unless groomed for airplane operations with aircraft weighing up to 15,000 lbs.)
Potholes are unacceptable and can damage the landing gear.
Loose gravel can ding the propellers.
The best strips are compacted dry earth or compacted gravel.
I recommend a full flap landing going in to keep the touchdown speed as low as possible. I do not recommend reverse as it can create a dust cloud in front of the airplane and damage the propellers. Ground fine should be enough.
On takeoff, I recommend Flaps Approach, again to get off the ground in the shortest distance and with minimum speed.
That being said most operators don't want to risk damaging their $6 million investment, most of the places I hear about King Airs doing austere field ops are in South America and Africa. IIRC the Royal Flying Doctors use B350s in austere field ops.
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dobleaa_nales
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2020 10:16 pm
Re: Question to RW and Flight Sim Pilot ?
Thanks for that explanation just what I need. You listed exactly what I was looking for what should be avoided. I was trying to land on orbx airfield WA79 I found it too difficult. Also, I was very heavy on fuel and the airstrip was made of dirt and grass around it. The approach was difficult for me as you have to clear a mountain and quickly descend at this point the airspeed gets up 20 knots or more. I try to idle to avoid the accelerated airspeed due to my rapid descend. I manage to slam my landing all dow it seems very smooth. If that was enough trying to takeoff from this airfield my left engine fail on takeoff. Don't know if it got damage on my landing or what I did wrong. I am trying to learn as much as possible try to fly the KA350i.