Well said - READ THE BOOK! Case in point - before I bought one, I heard numerous people telling me how hard the Mooney 201 was to land. But flying the book numbers on approach made for a well mannered aeroplane that was NOT hard to land at all.
The 310 is a marvelous trainer. It is always on the Ball. Do one thing and immediately have to do another. Continuously!!! The fuel system is also a good training system. Gotta get those wing tip tanks done evenly. Then the locker tanks and then the wing tanks. And make sure to keep the wing Sniffle Valves open or get ready for the shock of watching your wing collapse. But all in all a very good trainer to go to the real Complex Aircraft of the airlines.
I have owned four 310s, ranging from a 59 C to a 75 T310R, and flown a numbet of others, including Q models. ALL of them use the tip tanks as the mains, with the aux tanks in the wings. That is how Cessna designed and built them. The boost pumps are only in the mains (tip tanks), and do not pressurize fuel from the aux tanks (the locker tanks have low pressure transfer pumps which only send fuel to the main tanks on the tips). FYI, Cessna never built a 310 (or a tip tank equipped 400 series airplane) with mains in the wings and aux on the tips.
You are quite right the tips are the mains! Amazing what 20 years away does to the memory! We did not have locker tanks aft of the engines though. These were just, well, baggage compartments.
So , I think you are saying , don’t be a idiot - Study the pilot operating handbook ! Then , read it carefully again ! Sounds good to me . Good video , thanks .
I used to fly a C310 and a C402 back in the early 1980's. These days I fly my (very) little Jabiru J-120C! What great aircraft the Cessna 310 are! The 310 in particular, it is my favorite light twin! You are dead right about the fuel system, I remember it being drummed into me during my endorsement. You had to be very aware that you could dump fuel overboard if you where not paying attention, the same with the 400 series. I used to fly them heavy and light into remote dirt strips in remote North Queensland. The performance of a lightly loaded C 310 is nothing short of spectacular! The company i worked for had a policy of keeping them lean on descent until after landing, the idea was that if you had to go around there was plenty of time to get the mixture right for the increased power, why would there be any rush? Back in the early 2000's I realised I could not remember how to start a 310! i got a MS flight sim and a great 310 model and wow, the same panel I use to fly, it all came back to me! I truly believe after 30 years i could step in and fly one today. Thanks for your video, it brought back great memories.
Thanks Charles! I've never flown the 400 series, but that's interesting to hear they're the same fuel system. I agree completely with that sentiment about keeping them leaned on descent, a go around completed correctly pushes the mixtures up anyway! I hope you're getting some summer flying in in the Jabiru! All the best!
I fly a 340A....more or less exactly the same systems (I only have one nacelle tank, which then requires crossfeed) The system isn't as bad as folks say, it just isn't forgiving for ignorant people. Gotta Read The Manual And Follow It. The Baron folks take off on the mains, switch to aux until they are empty, then fly the rest on the mains. I set a time when I take off and fly for 45 minutes on the mains, then switch to the aux tanks. SImple and safe.
Interesting about the nacelle tank only on one side, that would require a bit more management again! But I agree, the system isn't terrible, just unforgiving of misuse! I've never flown a 340, but they look like a nice machine!
@@aeroplanetoby The 340 flies like a Big and heavy 310. Pretty decent at speed and a bit heavy when slow. The feel is pretty much the same. LIke the difference between a 172 and a 182 or 210. I use the nacelle tank as my emergency fuel. If I'm into that 20 gallons then I screwed up somehow.
