Beechjet 400A
#21
You obviously flew the T-1 in UPT...had the same issue, most people don't care if you have the type, you only have 500 hours, its an insurance issue, even if you are military. Take a deployment in the Herc and you should have more than enough hours.
#23
Gets Paid Vacation
Joined APC: May 2007
Position: King Air 200, PA-31P-350 Mojave, Bellanca 17-30A Super Viking
Posts: 192
my only experience with them is in the sim and a couple of trips in the back seat of one....comftorable airplane in the back......pain in the ass if your flying it....using spoilers to turn is quite possibly the stupidest thing ive ever seen...after a v1 cut your immediate reaction is to controll the airplane with a bit of rudder input and a little bit of aileron (spoiler) thats when it gets tricky.....the real plane proably flys way better seeing that they design the sims to be hard to fly....they do have a really low initial purchase price tho which is proably the reason they are so popular......i would say go for it and get a sic type outa the deal
#24
On Reserve
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Jun 2006
Posts: 11
Well sounds like the Beechjet is the POS that I expected. He is going to pay me more than I am making as a Hawker PIC though. I am trying to talk him into a King Air 350. I am already rated and it would fit his needs better not to mention the larger cabin.
#27
It's not a bad airplane to fly -- especially if you're being paid well to do it. Cramped cockpit in a business jet is very relative -- the Lear 35 is MUCH more cramped than the BE400. This is a little outdated, but at least gives some idea of daily rates: http://www.gulfstreamcontractpilot.c...aily_rates.htm
#28
I flew the beechjet 400A and also the Mu-300'S for 2 years. I didn't like the airplane. It is very uncomfortable (small) in the front. It doesn't fly well. Very unstable and only spoilers for turns. It has terrible range. You can't put more than a couple of people on it and still have fuel to go anywhere. I guess that is the case with all small jets. If you are coming from a 172 or something it might be just fine. Coming from an airliner or even a bigger corporate airplane you will not be happy with it.
#29
Are you smoking crack?!? Of course you're not happy about moving from an airliner to a Beechjet, but get a grip. I have 3000 hrs in the BE-400A and, while not my favorite plane, it's a solid performer and incredibly well built. Unstable? Not a chance. High wing loading means a very smooth ride and the airplane is about as stable as your couch. Useful load with full fuel is about 600 to 700 lbs with range in the neighborhood or 1000nm or so. With 6 pax you still have about 750nm range. It's a good airplane for 3 or 4 pax up and down the coast. More than 5 in the cabin and things get cramped in a hurry, but this is a light jet after all. As for V1 cuts, they are a non-issue for any competent pilot. All in all, it's a rock solid airframe with very good runway performance, good avionics (but a bit dated compared to Proline), a decent cabin, and flight controls that give you a good upper body workout.