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SoCal to Cannes in a Turbo Commander

I did my first ocean crossing ferry flight in my new to me Turbo Commander 690A in August. A link to an abbreviated write-up of the trip is here:
http://flightlevelsonline.com/2016/fall-2016/commander-owner-makes-way-cannes/

EGTF, LFMD

And where might you be now? Still in Europe or back in Sunny California? Fancy a meetup in La Rochelle Thursday?

Last Edited by Aviathor at 17 Jan 17:40
LFPT, LFPN

Still in Europe, back and forth between London and the South of France. Can’t pop down to La Rochelle this week, may be popping down to Cannes for a day this week but otherwise jammed up with family and other obligations.

EGTF, LFMD

Nice to see your getting good utility out of your A, Patrick.

Great report! Maybe you could post some pics from Greenland

LDZA LDVA, Croatia

Thanks for sharing!
A few thoughts which came up while reading:

Why did you fly the southern route CYYR – BGBW – BIRK while you cam from the weat coast? I think a routing further north would be quite a bit shorter.

I clearly have a commercial interest in this but did you really land at BGBW just to get a weather update? With data link weather you could probably have avoided this stop and saved a lot of money and time.

Finally how did you make sure the engine problem was really the starter-generator? It would have been a pitty to wait days for a new one and then to find out it is some other part. Did you swap the generators left to right to check?

www.ing-golze.de
EDAZ

Great looking aircraft must be the nicest 690A this side of the Atlantic. With Garretts in the Arctic might standard procedure use a power cart for the first start? Turning the whole turbine at sub zero must require an excellent battery state.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

Thanks Robert, how are you?
For my aircraft, the AFM recommends:
- A parallel start between OAT 0 degrees and 32 Celsius, or with a warm engine
- A series start below 0 and above 32 degrees Celsius, but above -12C
- Below -12C using external power.

I was in Greenland and Iceland when they were both green where I was, it was August. I haven’t done a start with OAT below 0, yet, but have done some series starts and used a power cart when it is handy. I don’t have much interest in exploring meaningfully subzero environments, I tend to fly south in the winter When I was growing up in Chicago, I frequently asked my parents “Why don’t we live in California?”
I haven’t done any ski trips with it, yet. That is the only case I can see where it might be in need of a power cart.

EGTF, LFMD

Patrick, nice report. Can you explain series and parallel starts? How does the battery system work on the TC wrt engines?

Last Edited by JasonC at 18 Jan 19:52
EGTK Oxford

Patrick many thanks, should have deduced you were above zero that time of the year – am still ploughing the well worn airways round Essex.

The security crew at Cannes at times can be tedious, but the Police/Customs sit next door so I think they are expected to ask for duplicate birth certificates even if they just saw you ten minutes ago, epaulettes notwithstanding. The King Airs use 22 for landing when you have strong westerlies, and keeps you out of the downdraft/shear on 17.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom
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