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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,
cornparedwith 5975 pounds for
the 340. The last significantchange
in the line camein 1979,with the
switch to TSIO-520N8engines(the
B denotesa heaviercrankshaft).
Subsequent modificationof cylin-
ders,valve lifters and piston pins by
'Ilv 340's airlircr-like co&it
anil all-ueather missionnthe it
wotf,ty of *rious avionics,and
eme e.terrsportolhrrnat*ct gla*s"
Srctcmsmntglmity is a big jump
for nwcy uggraning pilors
Continental increasedTBO of the
NB enginesfrom 1400to 1600hours
in 1983.
But Cessnadidnt 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 pressurizationsystemis the
sam€asthos€ found in Cessna's
400-seriestwins, with a maximum
differential of4.2 PSIproviding an
8000-footcabin up to 20,000 feet.
Abovethat, the cabin climbs witb
the airplane.
Cessnaofferedan automaticpres-
surization control,which activates
and deactivateswhile climbing or
descendingthrough 8000 feet,but
more buyers
opted for the
variable-control
system.The
variablesystem
maintainsa sea-
level cabin up to
9000 feet,then
deliversthe pilot-
selectedcabin
altitude until a
4.2 PSIdifferen-
tial is reached.
As pressuriza-
tion goes,the
340 is relatively
easy,requiring just a quick checkand
set for eachflight. The pilot merely
dials in field elevationplus 500
feetbeforetakeoff and landing and
selectsdesiredcruisecabin altitude
on initial clirnb. The restis simply
monitoring the systemto make sure
itt deliveringas commanded.
While the pressurizationis easy,
the samecant be said for the fuel
system.Startwith the 1o0-gallon-
usabletip 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 un-
initiated 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 trans-
ferredto 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), remem-
ber to usecrossfeed;dump all 120
pounds frorn a locker into one tip
tank, and the imbalancewill be
enough to upset even your auto-
pilot. Unfortunately, Cessnanever
got around to simplifying the fuel
systemsin its 3oo-seriestwins (Cru-
saderexcepted)as it did in most of
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 Cessnaowners.It can be mas-
tered in one 3% hour crosscountry.
While known ice certification
came in 1977and up, the malor- mid-2os. Not bad as twins go but no decide to fly after losing one on lift-
ity of 340s havewhat is calledfull turboprop, either. off, the airplanewill cleara SO-foot
deice.This usually mean boots on The 340'sclaimedsingle-engine obstacle after traveling lessthan
the wing and tail (with the excep- rateof climb is 315 FPM,better than 4000 feet over the ground after brake
tion ofthe wing stubs),heatedprops the 414 (290 FPM), BeechP58Baron release(assuming the pilot does
and alcohol spray for both sidesof (270) and the Piper 601P(240) and eYerything right).
the windshield.This is adequatefor 602P (302) Aerostars.Single-engine The performance figures above are
many 340 owners.The few 340sout minimum control speedis 82 knots. for 340swith 31O-HPengines.Those
there with hot props only are tough Stall speedsare 79 knots, clean,and that still have285-HPK engines(if
to sell, but can be ideal for owners 71 knots in landing configuration. any) are nearly20 knots slowerin
warmer locations. Not all twins of the 340'sdays cruise, use roughly 200 feet more
Air conditioning might be the have accelerate-stopand accelerate- runway for takeoff and climb 1500
factory system, which requires the go perforrnance tables but, to FPM on both engines,250 FPMon
right enginebe running to get cool Cessna's credit,the 340 does.Under one.
air. Partsfor this systemcan be chal- standardconditions,a 340 that loses
lenging to get.The Keith System,also an engineat lift-off speed(91 knots) HANDLITIGAl{DPAYLOAD
called JBAir by many, is electricand can be brought to a full stop within Cessna's big twins havea reputation
can be poweredby a ground APU, 3000 feetof brakerelease.The POH for being comfortable and easyto
although in the real world of FBOs,a also indicatesthat should a oilot handle and the 340 fits that mold,
340 rarelygetsthe APU. Supportfor
the Keith systemis good.

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
airplanecan be expectedto true
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
respectable1650FPM,but climb per-
formancetapersabove20,000 feet
rc a dawdling 300 to 400 FPM in the

The340'senghwswork haril in a
harshenrtironneflt, Wethink nnil-
erfl eflgine ,noflitorhtg is a fius,.

Itl czblntu* anpleu wfthftU-
orrttl,blrl. 'Ihere\far mon gu
fot caW tlun gossurlgit allouts,
wrrldrn afu thou,elghtfut fftrll
aW tdt alrnmta musl
although not entirely without wans.
The airplane owesits speedto a
relativelyslick airframe and because
it has flap and gearoperatingsp€€ds
that are on the low side,it can be a
handful to go down and slow down
at the sametime.
For example,flapscan be ex-
tended 15 degreesat 160knots (the
limit is 156knots for the first 300
airplanesbuilt) to help slow the air-
plane to max gear-extension speed,
a pitiable 140knots. But slowing the
airplaneto 160 knots without stress-
ing the enginescan be a problem,
ifyou believein the shockcooling
genie.Owners saydescentsand
approachesrequireplanning and
occasionaloersistence 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 big-
iron feel. But for the pilots,
that wearsoff quickly
when they haveto squeeze
through a narrow (seven-
inch) 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'sand 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
reservesand you can take along only
two passengers and their bags.Fill
the seatswith 170-poundFAA clones
and pack awaytheir regulation30
pounds ofbaggageeachand you can
carry enough fuel for lessthan two
hours of flying.
Consideringthe payloadlimita-
tions, the baggagespacein the 340
seemsa cruel joke. Among the cabin,
noseand lockercompartments,
there's a cavernous53 cubic feet of
spacein which a maximum of 930
pounds can be crammed.That is,
however,the maximum. Most 340s
haveat leastone fuel tank occupying
a locket and nose baggagecompart-
ment spacetypically is compromised
by avionicsgear.
The installation ofvortex genera-
tors, 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-performanceairplane,
a 340 won't tolerateskimpy mainte-
nance.Ifrebuilt enginepricesin the
$45,000range(timestwo), annual
inspectionsat severalthousanddol-
lars and operatingexpensesof $400-
550 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,
ferry Templetells prospectivebuyers
to expect$10,000to $15,000for an-
nual inspections.
Owners we spoke with over-
whelmingly agreethe annual must
be done by a shop with twin Cessna
expertise.TASaviation in Defiance,
Ohio, was singledout by a few own-
ers.
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 knowledge-
able 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 generalsensethat cata-
strophicenginefailurescausedby
crankcasecracksare on the decline.
All big-boreContinentalshavea
modestpredilectionfor crackedcyl-
inders 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.
AD 2000-01-16 requiresrepetitive
inspection,repairor replacementof
exhaustcomponentsin a rangeof
Cessnatwins,not iust the 340.This
AD was issuedin responseto cracks/
failuresthat led to catastrophicfires.
AD-97-0-13requiresreplacement of
certain hydraulic,oil and fuel hoses
while another,88-03-02requires
insoectionof fuel crossfeedlines for
chafing and modification of firewall
stiffenerflangesand fuel lines.AD
87-23-08callsfor ultrasonicinspec-
tion ofthe crankshafts, asdoes97-
26-17.Speaking of crankshafts, some
340s wereinvolved in the Continen-
tal crankshaftrecallof 2000.The
logbooksshould reflectthis asAD
2000-08-51.
AD 96-20-7callsfor repetitivein-
spectionsofthe Janitrolcabin heater
while 96-l2-22requiresrepetitive
inspectionsof the oil filter adapters.
95-24-5dealswith repetitiveprop in-
spectionsand 90-2-13,a type-specific
directive,calledfor replacementof
the main landinggearinnerbarrel
bearings.
One important directiveto check
for is 82-26-05,which requiresvisual
checksfor cracksin the rudder bal-
anceweight rib every 100 hours until
a new rib is installed.Suchcracks
havebeen the subjectof numerous
servicedifficulty reports.
IT{SURANCE
Templesayshis typicalbuyerhas
a few hundred hours in high per-
formancesingles,but insuranceis
usually obtainableat a reasonable
price.The typicalrequirement is 25
hoursdual in the aircraftand at-
tendanceat an insurance-approved
school,usuallvwith simulatorsand
insurance-approved instructors,such
asSimCom.Annual recurrenttrarn-
ing is usuallyrequired.
Low-timeownersalso might not
g€tmorethat $1M with per-seat
limits of $100,000until theyhave
accumulatedmore 34Otime.
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
avionicsupgrades.However,Cessna
340 pricesareslowlyclimbing.
MODS,OWNERGROUPS
The 340 fleet hasbeen a popular
model for enginemodifcations
performedby RAM AircraftCorp.
Their mods increasethe number
of powerplantoptions to five: the
standardTSIO52o-NBS (310HP), the
RAM SeriesIV (325 HP), the RAM
SeriesVI and VII (335I IP each)and
the stock310-HPenginewith Amert-
can Aviation Intercoolers.This last
combo providesperformancesimilar
to the 325-HPRAM IV RAM pack-
agesinclude a seventhstud on crank-
casecylinder pads,which reduces
the stresses in theseareasthat often
causecracks.(Contacl RAM at www.
ramaircraft.com or 254-752-8181.,
Improvedturbochargerintercool-
ing systemsare availablefrom Amer-
ican Aviation and are highly recom-
mendedby owners.The installation
includesram-air inlet ductsunder
the enginenacellesand more ef-
ficient (Americansays28- to 70-per-
cent more efficient)heatexchanger
cores.The companysaysits system
cuts the temperatureof air entering
the enginefrom about 170degreesto
80 degrees,improving rateof climb
by up to 300 FPMand adding up to
15 knotsin cruise.(ContactAmefl
canat:wwwamericanaviation inc
com or 800-423-0476.1
A STOLmod for 340swas offered
by SierraIndustries, and included
installationof Robertson-designed
Fowlerflapsand a trim springthat
orecludes the needto retrim the
elevatorswhen the flapsare raised
or lowered.Sierrasaysthe mod
decreases accelerate-stopdistances
by 40 percentand improvesshort-
field performanceabout l5 percent.
Although still supported,the mod
isn't availablefor new installations.
ContactSierraat wwwsijet.com or
888-835-9377.
PreciseFlight makesspeedbrakes
for the Cessna340.Theyre of novel
designand projectinto the airstream
from a snugenclosureat the aft end
ofthe enginenacelles. ContactPre-
ciseFlight at www.precisefl ight.com
or 800-547-2558.
 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
a ftrrcr nc ntr rr r t edv or te x8 (ttc r,tto r\.
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 rtlrtal 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 -541388
9902; Boundar)' l.a),erResearchis at
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 usu-
ally prohibitive. lfyou need this, fincl
a 3 4 0 w i th i t al readvi nstal l ed.
As for owner groups,th€re are
two: the Twin CessnaFlyerat www
twincessna.organd 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."
OWNERCOMMENTS
l h c fw i n (.esrnaI l yer har rr:prc-
sented340 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 night-
mare. 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
knowledgeableshop. When buving,
a pre-buy b1'a shop that specializes
in twin Cessnasis a must.
The electro mechanical landing
gear on the 340 must be maintained
strictly accordingto Cessna'sinstruc-
tions. 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
or FlightSafetvplus 25 to 50 hours
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 rou-
tinely fly in the flight levelswhere
the airplane is faster,the airspaceless
crowdedand it's easierto circum-
navigatethe weather.It's a new world
for them.
The two long-termconcernsfor
_ 340 ownersare Cessna'sSupplemen-
tal InspectionDocument program
(SIDs)and fuel availability,siventhe
likely phase-our of tO0 LL. S'iDsarc
the industry'swayofaddressinq the
agingCA aircrafrfleetand willlikely
affect all legacyGA aircraft, nor iusr
twin cessnas.No one has a crystal
ball, but the conventional wisdomis
that the FAAwill continueto address
specificsafetyconcernsvia 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 purchaseprice of $300,000or less.
For manypeople,the 340 is the Der-
fectairplanefor their mission.

Bob Thomason(PresidentTCF)
Charlotte,North Carolina

Specialthanhsn lerry Templefor his

bachgroundinlormationlu thk anicle,
and RemyBlanchaertJr.for hisphons.