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certifiedfor flight into known icing conditions,when properlyequipped, cameonly in 1977.The following year,a maximum rampweightof 6025 pounds was approved,and max weight for takeoffand landing was set at 5990 pounds for the 340A, with 5975 pounds for cornpared the 340. The last significantchange in the line camein 1979,with the switch to TSIO-520N8engines(the B denotesa heaviercrankshaft). modification Subsequent of cylinders,valve lifters and piston pins by

Continental increased TBO of the NB enginesfrom 1400to 1600hours in 1983. But Cessna didnt build any 340As (or much ofanything else)that year and after putting togethera scant 17 ofthe airplanesin 1984,production was terminatedfor good,with a total of about 1297aircraft made.Some 872 are still registered.

SYSTEilIS
The pressurization systemis the samasthos found in Cessna's 400-series twins, with a maximum differential of4.2 PSIproviding an 8000-footcabin up to 20,000 feet. Abovethat, the cabin climbs witb the airplane. Cessna offeredan automaticpressurization control,which activates while climbing or and deactivates through 8000 feet,but descending more buyers opted for the variable-control system.The variablesystem maintains a sealevel cabin up to 9000 feet,then deliversthe pilotselectedcabin altitude until a 4.2 PSIdifferential is reached. As pressurization goes,the 340 is relatively

'Ilv 340's airlircr-like co&it anil all-ueather missionnthe it wotf,ty of *rious avionics,and eme e.terrsportolhrrnat*ct gla*s" mntglmity is a big jump Srctcms for nwcy uggraning pilors

requiring just a quick checkand easy, set for eachflight. The pilot merely dials in field elevationplus 500 feetbeforetakeoff and landing and selects desiredcruisecabin altitude on initial clirnb. The restis simply monitoring the systemto make sure itt deliveringas commanded. is easy, While the pressurization the samecant be said for the fuel system. Startwith the 1o0-gallonusable tip tankswhich arethe mains in this airplane.Add up to four auxiliary wing tanks, two holding 40 gallons,the other two holding 23 gallons.Throw in locker tanks, which add another40 gallons.That's up to 203 gallons in tanks peppered throughout the length of the wings. Wherethings get tricky for the uninitiated is which tank to usewhen. Usethe mains, alone,for takeoff and landing.The enginescan feed directly from the auxiliary tanks, but fuel in the lockershas to be transferredto the mains, which are the tip tanks.You haveto make room in the mains first, otherwiseyou'll vent the pumped fuel over the side. And ifyou haveonly one locker tank (common on 340s), remember to usecrossfeed; dump all 120 pounds frorn a locker into one tip tank, and the imbalancewill be enough to upset even your autopilot. Unfortunately, Cessnanever got around to simplifying the fuel in its 3oo-series systems twins (Cruas it did in most of saderexcepted)

np intercop,ler is ainblebetauihe naelle in hk prtoto. Tlorc atefin loctble enginaoa dp 3tlo, anil nnral prcp options.
the 400s. Calling the tip tanks mains has its own issues.Ramp attendants havefilled the wrong tanks ("fust top off the mains...."). Transitioning pilots have switched to the aux tanks thinking they were drawing from the dps, and vice versa. Despitethis, the 340 hasnt suffered an inordinate number oI fuel-related accidents.lerry Temple, an aircraft dealerspecializingin the 340, says, 'The fuel system is no big deal. I prove it twice a month to new twin Cessna owners.It can be mastered in one 3% hour crosscountry. While known ice certification came in 1977and up, the malority of 340s havewhat is calledfull deice.This usually mean boots on the wing and tail (with the exception ofthe wing stubs),heatedprops and alcohol spray for both sidesof for the windshield.This is adequate many 340 owners.The few 340sout there with hot props only are tough to sell, but can be ideal for owners warmer locations. Air conditioning might be the factory system, which requires the right enginebe running to get cool air. Partsfor this systemcan be challenging to get.The Keith System, also called JBAir by many, is electricand can be poweredby a ground APU, although in the real world of FBOs,a 340 rarelygetsthe APU. Supportfor the Keith systemis good.

mid-2os. Not bad as twins go but no turboprop, either. The 340'sclaimedsingle-engine rateof climb is 315 FPM,better than the 414 (290 FPM), BeechP58Baron (270) and the Piper 601P(240) and 602P (302) Aerostars. Single-engine minimum control speedis 82 knots. Stall speeds are 79 knots, clean,and 71 knots in landing configuration. Not all twins of the 340'sdays have accelerate-stop and acceleratego perforrnance tables but, to Cessna's credit,the 340 does.Under standardconditions,a 340 that loses an engineat lift-off speed(91 knots) can be brought to a full stop within 3000 feetof brakerelease. The POH also indicates that should a oilot

decide to fly after losing one on liftoff, the airplanewill cleara SO-foot obstacle after traveling lessthan 4000 feet over the ground after brake release(assuming the pilot does eYerything right). The performance figures above are for 340swith 31O-HP Those engines. that still have285-HPK engines(if any) are nearly20 knots slowerin cruise, use roughly 200 feet more runway for takeoff and climb 1500 FPM on both engines,250 FPMon one.

HANDLITIGAl{D PAYLOAD
Cessna's big twins havea reputation for being comfortable and easyto handle and the 340 fits that mold,

PERFORiIAT{(E
The 340 is a high flyer, with a service ceiling of nearly30,000 feet. But most ownerswisely operatein the high teensto mid-2os,wherethe to true airplanecan be expected between190 and 205 knots on about 30 gallonsper hour at 65 percent power,and 200 to 217 knots on 32 to 34 GPH using 75 percent power. Rateof climb at sealevel is a respectable 1650FPM,but climb performancetapersabove20,000 feet rc a dawdling 300 to 400 FPM in the

The340'senghws work haril in a harshenrtiron neflt, Wethink nnilerfl eflgine ,noflitorhtg is a fius,.

Itl czblntu* anpleu wfthftUorrttl,blrl. 'Ihere\far mon gu fot caW tlun gossurlgit allouts, wrrldrn afu thou,elght fut fftrll aW tdt alrnmta musl
although not entirely without wans. The airplane owesits speedto a relativelyslick airframe and because it has flap and gearoperatingspds that are on the low side,it can be a handful to go down and slow down at the sametime. For example,flapscan be extended 15 degrees at 160knots (the limit is 156knots for the first 300 airplanes built) to help slow the airplane to max gear-extension speed, a pitiable 140knots. But slowing the airplaneto 160 knots without stressing the enginescan be a problem, ifyou believein the shockcooling genie.Owners saydescents and approaches requireplanning and occasional oersistence with ATC if a slam dunk is in the offing. Oncethe airplane is slowed down with gear and flaps deployed, however, it tends to sink like a rock,

and some power must be maintainedright into the flare.This is due in part to the split flaps,which are great for drag, bur not so good for lift. Entering the airplane through the luxu ous airstairdoor givesa bigiron feel. But for the pilots, that wearsoff quickly when they haveto squeeze through a narrow (seveninch) opening to their seats.Once vou're seated, the cabin is quite comfortableup front. The 340t cabin is 46.5 inches wide and 49 incheshigh, about the samesizeasan Aerostar's and 4.5 incheswider than a P-Baron's. lf ownershaveany consistent complaintsabout the 340 line, they relateto lack of payload.Load enoughgasfor a 4.5-hourflight with reserves and you can take along only two passengers and their bags.Fill the seats with 170-poundFAA clones and pack awaytheir regulation30 pounds ofbaggageeachand you can carry enough fuel for lessthan two hours of flying. Consideringthe payloadlimitations, the baggage space in the 340 seems a cruel joke. Among the cabin, noseand lockercompartments, there's a cavernous53 cubic feet of in which a maximum of 930 space pounds can be crammed.That is, however, the maximum. Most 340s haveat leastone fuel tank occupying a locket and nose baggagecompartment space typically is compromised by avionicsgear. The installation ofvortex generators, however,brings a 300-pound

grossweight bump. Consideringan entire VG kit weighs about as much asthe air in your tires,it's about as closeto a free lunch asyou can get. Ifyou re consideringa 340, by all means consider vortex generators

itAtt{TEilAt{c!
Like any high-performance airplane, a 340 won't tolerateskimpy maintenance.Ifrebuilt enginepricesin the $45,000range(timestwo), annual inspections at several thousanddollars and operatingexpenses of $400550 an hour curl your toes (as they do ours), the 340 is not the aircraft for you. While some owners reported annualsin the $5000-dollarrange, buyers ferry Templetells prospective to expect to $15,000 for an$10,000 nual inspections. Owners we spoke with overwhelmingly agreethe annual must be done by a shop with twin Cessna expertise. TASaviation in Defiance, Ohio, was singledout by a few owners. But those with the budget should get their money's worth out of this airplane.Somethings to watch out for: First,there are the TSIO-520 crankcases, which havea history of cracking.In mid-1976,Continental switchedto heaviercases, which helpeda bit but certainly provided no panacea.A couple of knowledgeable sourcesestimated that about two-thirds ofthe enginesflying in 340s right now probablyare cracked in one placeor another. But not all cracksare critical and there'sa generalsense that catastrophicenginefailurescausedby crankcase cracksare on the decline. All big-boreContinentalshavea

modestpredilectionfor crackedcylinders and heads. Crackedand blown-out cockpit windows were the sublectofseveral reports,aswerecrackedBendix mag housingsand distributor blocks, loosehorizontal and vertical stabr lizer attach bolts, and crackedwaste gatecouplings. As far asADsgo, the 340 is neither the bestnor the worst. requires repetitive AD 2000-01-16 of inspection,repairor replacement in a range of components exhaust Cessna twins,not iust the 340.This to cracks/ AD was issuedin response fires. failuresthat led to catastrophic requires replacement of AD-97-0-13 certain hydraulic,oil and fuel hoses while another, 88-03-02requires lines for insoectionof fuel crossfeed chafing and modification of firewall stiffenerflangesand fuel lines.AD callsfor ultrasonic inspec87-23-08 tion ofthe crankshafts, asdoes97of crankshafts, some 26-17. Speaking 340s wereinvolved in the Continental crankshaftrecallof 2000.The logbooksshould reflectthis asAD 2000-08-51. inAD 96-20-7 callsfor repetitive spectionsofthe Janitrolcabin heater repetitive while 96-l2-22requires inspectionsof the oil filter adapters. 95-24-5dealswith repetitiveprop ina type-specific spections and 90-2-13, of directive,calledfor replacement the main landinggearinnerbarrel bearings. One important directiveto check which requires visual for is 82-26-05, checksfor cracksin the rudder balanceweight rib every 100 hours until Suchcracks a new rib is installed. havebeen the subjectof numerous servicedifficulty reports.

Ternplealso saysthat now is a good time to be a 340 buyeras prices are at all-time low. The savingscan pay for more dual instruction for a low-time pilot, or allow for expensive However, Cessna avionicsupgrades. areslowlyclimbing. 340 prices

MODS,OWNER GROUPS
The 340 fleet hasbeen a popular model for enginemodifcations performed by RAM AircraftCorp. Their mods increase the number of powerplantoptions to five: the (310HP), the TSIO52o-NBS standard RAM Series IV (325 HP), the RAM VI and VII (335I IP each)and Series with Amertthe stock310-HP engine This last can Aviation Intercoolers. similar combo providesperformance to the 325-HPRAM IV RAM packagesinclude a seventhstud on crankcasecylinder pads,which reduces that often the stresses in theseareas cracks.(Contacl RAM at www. cause or 254-752-8 181., ramaircraft.com Improvedturbochargerintercoolfrom Amering systems are available ican Aviation and are highly recommendedby owners.The installation includesram-air inlet ductsunder and more efthe enginenacelles ficient (Americansays28- to 70-percent more efficient)heatexchanger The companysaysits system cores. of air entering cuts the temperature to the enginefrom about 170degrees improving rateof climb 80 degrees, by up to 300 FPMand adding up to (Contact Amefl 15 knotsin cruise. inc canat:wwwamericanaviation com or 800-423-0476.1 A STOLmod for 340swas offered Industries, and included by Sierra installationof Robertson-designed Fowler flapsand a trim springthat orecludes the needto retrim the elevators when the flapsare raised or lowered.Sierrasaysthe mod distances accelerate-stop decreases by 40 percentand improvesshortabout l5 percent. field performance Although still supported,the mod isn't available for new installations. ContactSierraat wwwsijet.com or 888-835-9377. Precise Flight makesspeedbrakes for the Cessna 340.Theyre of novel design and projectinto the airstream from a snugenclosure at the aft end Contact Preofthe enginenacelles. ight.com ciseFlight at www.precisefl or 800-547-2558.

IT{SURANCE
his typicalbuyerhas Temple says a few hundred hours in high performancesingles,but insuranceis usually obtainableat a reasonable price. is 25 The typicalrequirement and athoursdual in the aircraft at an insurance-approved tendance and school, usuallvwith simulators instructors,such insurance-approved Annual recurrent trarnasSimCom. ing is usuallyrequired. Low-timeownersalso might not gtmorethat $1M with per-seat limits of $100,000 until theyhave more 34Otime. accumulated

Cessna340 owner Philip Mattison told us of his switch to four-blade i\,lTcompositeprops that increased clinb ratesbv 200 FPlvtand cruis. speedsby sevenknots as well as g i vi n g r ook r Cl I ls a n J s rtro o th c r operation. (He also sayshe'll cut anyone a deal on a nice set of used Qjl'ip Ilartzell props for a 340 or a 414.) It's rare to lind a 340 r.vithouttlre r rr r t edv or te x8 (ttc r,tto r\. a ftrrcr nc nt which essentiallyelininate Vmc, Bi \c Br ( . r tc ont r ol . r t lo w .ri rs p e e J r and add 300 pounds to the gross weight. Ifyou do find one, VCs are a va i l ablt lr or n M ir r o A r' rc rtlrta l mi c s . PacificNorthrvestAero Ll.C, through RAM, as part of the company'sspeed mod kits and through tloundary Laver Research. Micro Aerodvnanr ics is at www.microaero-comand BOO - 677-237O; I)acilicNorthwest rs at www.Pnwaero.com and -541 388 is at 9902; Boundar)' l.a),erResearch www.blrvgs.conr and 800 257 4847. RoberlsonS'l'Ol.kits are still avail-

a b l e ,b u t the i nstal l ati oncost i s usually prohibitive. lfyou need this, fincl a 3 4 0 w i th i t al readvi nstal l ed. As for owner groups,thre are two: the Twin CessnaFlyerat www twincessna.org and the Cessna l)ilot'sAssociationat wwwcessDa. org or 805 922 2580. I'Clialso offers operationsseninars that are highly regardedb1'owlers. Accordingto Ierly Temple,the I'(l}r$(r5 dues is " th e b e s t di nner bi l l you w i l l ever' spend."

OWNER COMMENTS
l h c fw i n (.esrnaI l yer har rr:prcsented340 orvnerssince 1988.The airplane has never been a better value as it's a buyer'smarket and bargainsabound. C)nereservationpeople have in switchin6i from, say, a five-year old Cirrus to a 35-year-old3,10is maintenancecost and downtime. n well-maintained older airplane can be everv bit as reliableas a newer airplane. l he 340 will definitely cost

more to maintain. But one in tip-iop shapecarrbe as rel i ahl ea.. t ny air pl ane on the market-new or old. On the other hand, a "bargain" airplane can be a linancial nightmare. Corrosion is a big concern. lhe buyer who thought he had the per fect airplane gets hit with a bill of 25 percentof the value of his airplane on th first annual.'fhese airplanes simply must be maintained bv a knowledgeable shop. When buving, a pre-buy b1'a shop that specializes in twin Cessnas is a must. The electro mechanical landing gear on the 340 must be maintained strictly accordingto Cessna's instructions. That means re-riggingit everv year or 200-hours whichever comes first. It's an eight,hour job start to finish and many shops don't do it This is asking for trouble. Insurancecompanieswill typically require initial training at SimConr plus 25 to 50 hours or FlightSafetv with a safetypilot in the right seat. Thereafter, annual simulator sessions

are usually required.We Favehad memberswith as little as400 hours total time transition to a cabin-class twin Cessna. It can be doneifthe owner is sufficiently motivated. What we hear most oflen from the new owners is how much they love the pressurization. They no longer haveto cajoletheir family to wear oxygencannulas. They now routinely fly in the flight levelswhere the airplane is faster,the airspace less crowdedand it's easier to circumnavigatethe weather.It's a new world for them. The two long-termconcerns for 340 ownersare Cessna's Supplemental InspectionDocument program (SIDs)and fuel availability, siventhe likely phase-our of tO0 LL. S'iDs arc the industry's wayofaddressinq the agingCA aircrafr fleetand willlikely affect all legacyGA aircraft, nor iusr twin cessnas. No one has a crystal ball, but the conventional wisdomis that the FAAwill continueto address specificsafetyconcerns via ADs anq not resortto the broad-brushap_ proach of mandatorySIDs. The 340 can fly four ro six people at up to 200 knots for 800 miles with the securityof a secondengine-for a purchase price of $300,000or less. For manypeople,the 340 is the Derfectairplanefor their mission. Bob Thomason(President TCF) Charlotte,North Carolina Special thanhsn lerry Temple for his bachground inlormation lu thk anicle, and RemyBlanchaert Jr.for hisphons.