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I've got about 30 hours in T-34As and Bs - sweet flying aircraft. Most of the T-34 fleet was grounded because of a wing spar AD - to me this was only relevant if your doing wild aerobatics in the thing. Several guys pulled the wings off putting 6gs on them. If I remember fuel burn on the O-470 was about 10 - 12 GPH. Maintenance was pretty straight up and if you got one that didn't have a lot of acro time on it you probably would have less airframe problems to worry about. It flies like a straight tail Bonanza except you're sitting in tandem.
Hope this helps, make sure the spar AD has been complied with...
Thanks for the info Flyboy, I appreciate it. I have heard that the O-470 was a low powered engine for the configuration of that bird and they should be upgraded to a 285/300hp if you want the climb rate to keep up past 6-8K. Did you find the 470 run out of punch around there? Heard also that the takeoff could be a bit on the long side. Any idea on the cruise?
How about the Arrow Turbo, any time in that? Or the regular Arrow for that matter.
The turbo system could be a little problematic if you don't keep the maintenance up. Also the MLG scissor links elongate if you land crabbed.
On any GA aircraft with a turbo, there is a tendency to overboost the engine, especially on takeoff, that's why you find them getting them overhauled earlier. Air leaks in the ducting and around the turbo unit is the most common cause of problems. Turbo Arrows do produce more power at altitude that's why they're faster than normal Arrows. Below is a photo of the scissor link on the MLG. Also watch for fuel leaks, this picture looks like this bird had one.Flyboy,
Thanks again for you input. Appreciate it. Couple of questions.
What's the maintenance like on a turbo vs a regularly aspirated engine? I know the oil gets changed more often the TBO is about 600 hrs shorter. Is there anything else? Also, the turbo has a cruise of about 30mph higher than the regularly aspirated engine. Is that because of the turbo producing better power at altitude or is there another reason? And the MLG scissor links, what are they? Not familiar with them.
I think you're smart in going with the Arrow. A T-34 could be troublesome, especially after the wing spar fiasco. Also keep in mind that depending in what part of the country you're in you're a target for a ramp check. The FAA loves to ramp T-34s becuase of the ADs.Probably going with the Arrow just for simplicity's sake. More to do, bang for the buck, all that. Thing about it is after coming out of Yak, I don't want to get a bird that I spend all my time just punching holes in the sky (which is what a lot of flying is but nobody tells you until you get up there, on your own, with a 500 mile flight ahead of you).
I don't let my students use GPS. I have a handheld that i use for my reference, I don't let the student see it...