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Thread: T34A vs T34B

  1. #11

    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    2,575
    A few differnces to what Todd wrote about flying the T-34, based on my 10 years of owning an A model.
    He writes of touching down at 75 knots, and as I recall that seems way too fast. You can get away with it since the 34 lands so easily, but why land faster than needed? As I recall, stall, gear and full flaps is 48 knots, so you ought to touchdown at that speed or close to it. 75 knots is 156 % above stall speed, and this really is faster than is even needed on downwind. Normal final approach speed for most planes is 1.3 Vso , slowing to 1.2 near the runway, or 62 knots and 57 knots. I could be wrong about these figures, but I flew mine for about 600 hours all over the U S and to the Bahamas and I am pretty sure I was under 70 knots on final.
    I think the pilots manual , the dash something gives a "minimum roll landing" ( ie short field) approach speed of 55 knots. I tried this a few time and it works with a little power on and the plane really settles in when you close the throttle. I can't find my 34 manual just now, but do have the Joe Christy book on Beechcrafts, including the 34 and he says the Air Force said 60 knots at touchdown, and to him, like me, this seems on the fast side. One thing the book list is a service ceiling at 19, 500 feet! and that is a fantasy,unless they found a runway at 20,000 feet for takeoff. Christy did not verify this on his flights, like he did the other figures.
    Todd gives some pretty good fuel consumption figures, and although I have flown a few of the 285 and 300 reeinged ones, I can't recall any figures. My stock A burned 13 gph in cruise at about 140-145 knots TAS.

    Also Todd says that they don't have inverted fuel and oil systems. Well, the A model came with inverted oil system and mine still had it. Many, if not most planes, have been fancied up a lot and thus may have been changed. I liked that mine still had original panels and instruments, and thus retained its military look inside. Probably most T-34 owners do not share my feelings, but to me one of the major experiences of owning a military type plane is the aura and and the look and feel of the cockpit. When you make a 34 or a T-6 or a P-51 or a P-40 look like a Cessna or a Lear inside, it changes the experience. It's kind of like a beautiful victorian home that looks classic outside and but has been gutted and is modern inside. Besides I wouldn't know how to operate all that techno stuff anyway.
    Last edited by Bill Greenwood; 11-20-2012 at 04:01 PM.

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