Originally Posted by
kizzle
HI guys,
Thank you for the information guys. I'm making notes. How about the best cruise altitudes to use? I gather you guys don't generally go above FL250? The engines are the straight 118s and the craft was converted from a RT to an ER. So i'm thinking going above 250 would be a stretch for us using the straight 118s.
I heard flaps can create maintenance issues. Any recommendations re. flap usage?
Regards
Kiz
ER? Are we talking freight or passengers? I ask because the difference between the RT (~24K lbs) and ER(~26k lbs) is a performance issue. Will you regularly be loading it to ER limits? With straight 118, don't expect to see the upper 20s. At ASA, we had 118A engines and usually stayed 180-220. Above that was pushing it, especially in a "heavy" (ER). At GLA we had the 118Bs and those suckers regularly got to the upper 20s. I actually went to FL320 once, and she did fine.
Yes, the flaps do have issues. In my ~4 years flying the Bro, I had 3 flap failures (over hundreds of flights). It's usually a "disagreement" but an "asymmetry" is bad. You'll learn that the flap actuation system is ridiculously over engineered and that if it's not properly maintained, it becomes a nightmare. All 4 panels are independently controlled and actuated! Also, we learned that deice fluid majorly screws up the actuators. Remember that. Respect the flap speeds, and spend the money to maintain them.