Plastic Fantastic—the Cessna 400

By Graeme Mollison and Geoff Cooper.

Chris Barry, Marketing and Sales Manager for Flightline Aviation recently hosted a New Zealand tour of the Cessna 400. Graeme Mollison and Geoff Cooper both got the opportunity to fly the latest piston engined thoroughbred from the Cessna stable.

Graeme Mollison:

While it may have Cessna emblazoned proudly on the side, the Cessna 400 bears little resemblance to any of the other 190,000 aircraft that the Cessna Company has produced since 1927. Think Lancair and you wouldn’t be far off the mark—think Columbia and you would be pretty much on the money.

Cessna acquired the assets of the bankrupt Columbia Aircraft in late 2007 for US$26.4 million. Columbia Aircraft, based in Bend, Oregon, produced the Columbia 350 and 400 high performance single engine composite aircraft—since re-branded as the Cessna 350 and Cessna 400 respectively.

The mystery of the Lancair appearance, performance and use of composite materials in the construction of the 400 is solved when it is realised that Columbia Aircraft was formed in the 1990s by Lance Neibauer of Lancair fame.

It would appear that Cessna has adopted an “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” strategy with its acquisition of Columbia Aircraft, because apart from streamlining the production process, Cessna has made very few obvious changes to the 350 and 400. It has chosen to continue production in Bend, Oregon, and has retained Columbia’s 400-plus staff. Although Cessna recognised that the experience of the existing staff was essential to the 350/400 programme, it seems that the Cessna branding is already paying dividends as it expects to deliver 150 Cessna 350 and 400 models this year alone.

Constructed almost entirely of composite materials, the Cessna 400’s fuselage is fabricated in two halves—right and left—that are bonded longitudinally. The wings are a one piece (composite) assembly with a dual spar, and the control surfaces are also constructed entirely of fibreglass and carbon fibre. In fact, the only primary structures made of steel are the engine mount and the fixed landing gear.

The aircraft is certified under the FAR Part 23 Utility category, so you can be assured it is tough. It is also fast—with such clean lines and a 310-hp twin turbocharged, intercooled Teledyne Continental TCM TSIO-550C hauling it through the air, it comes as no surprise that this aircraft will get up and go. TAS at 25,000 feet is 235 knots (435 km/hr), making it—as Cessna boasts—the fastest fixed-gear production piston single on the planet. Further, according to Cessna, the 400 is still capable of climbing at 900 feet per minute at 25,000 feet.

Of course, the environment is somewhat inhospitable at 25,000 feet so the Cessna 400 incorporates oxygen ports for all four occupants that are tidily built into the cabin’s ceiling. An air-conditioning system also comes as standard.

Two generously sized upward opening “gull-wing” doors provide easy access to a surprisingly spacious cabin for a pilot and up to three passengers. A strap attached to the door is within easy reach, and the door is easily pulled down and latched—no slamming required!

Being more used to an airliner flightdeck these days, I often feel a bit like a fish out of water when climbing back into a light aircraft; however, the Cessna 400 has a good solid feel and I didn’t feel at all “squeezed”, even when trying the back seat for size.

Visibility from the front seat is good, although the heavy frame running across the top of the windscreen seems a little intrusive at first.

The Cessna 350/400 features side-stick control sticks instead of conventional yokes, and the traditional instruments once commonplace on all light aircraft have been replaced by the two large screens of the Garmin G1000 avionics suite. This is identical to the suite installed in most of the new Cessna models up to and including the Caravan and Citation Mustang.

Electrical system redundancy is a major factor in the design of the aircraft, which has two independent systems installed—one belt-driven and one gear-driven. Equipped with two batteries and two alternators, a total electrical failure would seem unlikely in a Cessna 400—a comforting thought in this fully IFR thoroughbred.

Once settled into the comfortable plush leather seat, starting is a simple and quick process similar to any other Cessna piston single. After start, a push of a button inflates seals around the entry doors using bleed air. While this noticeably quietens the cabin on the ground, the real gains are to be had at high power settings and in the air, given the aircraft’s speed capabilities.

For our flight, there was no need for a warm-up as the aircraft had just arrived at Christchurch from Gisborne—a mere 2.2 hours’ flying time for the Cessna 400.

After a short taxi to Christchurch’s Runway 20 and with the Partenavia ahead already airborne, it was our turn to launch. With settings of 35.5 inches of manifold pressure and 2,600 RPM, the Cessna 400 galloped down the runway and, at 70 kt IAS, surged into the air. Upon turning west soon after takeoff, it quickly became evident that the Partenavia twin ahead was no match for the Cessna 400, which had to be powered back in response to protesting squawks from the traffic alert system: “Traffic—12 o’clock—3 miles—same altitude.”

During our air-to-air photo sortie, the traffic alerting system proved its worth time and again, warning us of approaching aircraft when much of our attention was otherwise being devoted to monitoring the nearby R44 camera-ship.

The Cessna 400 is also fitted with a Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS), which utilises a database of known terrain. Although this worked well overall, we did get a nuisance warning at one point when the potential conflict was still at least 20 nm away. However, aural warnings can be acknowledged and silenced by the pilot, leaving only the visual warning displayed.

Unfortunately, the weather was not at all conducive to a comprehensive flight test and there was no possibility of exploring the 400’s upper-air behaviour. However, I managed a few medium and steeps turns, and with the photo shoot complete, I was able to take the Cessna 400 for a jaunt up the Waimakariri River and back. In level flight at 1,000 feet, we were indicating an impressive 167 kt (not far short of the 181 kt VNO limit) with cruise power settings of 31.5 inches and 2,450 RPM. Noise levels were low and were improved further by the Bose noise cancelling headsets working their magic; don’t leave home without a set!

The sidestick was comfortable and intuitive to use—more so than the conventional yoke. Pitch and roll forces were easy to trim out using the electric trim located on the top of the sidestick. Roll control was not stunning, but was crisp enough and the aircraft was pleasant to hand fly. The Cessna 400 is equipped with an excellent autopilot but unfortunately, the weather prevented my testing it properly (Geoff Cooper tested the autopilot in his later flight test at Auckland).

Slowing the Cessna 400 isn’t difficult—just reduce the manifold pressure by twisting the throttle knob and deploy the (electrically operated) speedbrakes; these produce a barely noticeable rumble but no significant pitch change. The first stage of flap (12 degrees) can be selected at a handy 127 kt and full flap (40 degrees) at 117 kt.

Unfortunately, we had time for only one circuit upon returning to Christchurch—not enough to get fully acquainted with the Cessna 400. However, its speed and handling were no problem in the pattern. As the speed reduced on finals, I found myself “stirring the porridge” somewhat with the sidestick as the controls started to lose their feel. However, with a little more exposure to the aircraft, there is no doubt I could have flown it far more smoothly. In my opinion, the flare felt a lot nicer in this aircraft than in many other light aircraft I have flown, with a positive feel throughout; had I not flared quite as high as I did, it may have even been considered acceptable for a first attempt!

As far as takeoff and landing performance is concerned, the Cessna 400 definitely prefers the seal to the grass—and needs its fair share of runway.

The Cessna 400 is not a difficult aircraft to fly and given some time to master the Garmin G1000 and the autopilot system, one would quickly become comfortable with the machine and its pace.

Priced at US$620,000 new, the Cessna 400 competes in the marketplace against the Mooney Acclaim and the Cirrus SR22.

Geoff Cooper:

The Cessna 400 truly has the “wow” factor; its sleek lines and superb finish give a great “first impression” and are indicative of a proud manufacturer that has spared no expense in attracting attention.

Look closer and the admiration grows. The aircraft’s fibreglass and honeycomb structure is flawless, and the lustrous paint finish is of “Ferrari” standard. A close inspection of the skin’s surface reveals a thin metallic bonding layer embedded beneath it—necessary to provide protection from lightning strikes and operationally important for the protection of the glass cockpit interior.

The Hartzell three-bladed constant-speed propeller and prominent cowl “cheeks” with their melon-sized intakes dominate the frontal aspect. The raked back windscreen suggests visibility from the inside might perhaps a little restricted—more on that later from the inside.

The wings’ leading edges are fitted with vortex generators and stall strips, and their outboard sections have pronounced changes in cross section—something made easily achievable by their composite construction. The wingtip washout is quite pronounced, which suggests the stall characteristics needed a little modification.

Centre of attention in the upper wings are the speedbrakes—and this aircraft needs them; twin rotating flat plates that extend electrically and vertically from their stowed position flush with the wings’ surfaces.

Aileron trim tabs are fitted to both trailing edges—a servo tab on the port side and a ground-adjustable tab on the starboard; these appeared to be unpainted, which was a shame. The rudder trim is a ground-adjustable fixed tab.

Aft of the port side trailing edge, the twin keyed entry cargo locker has a capacity of 120 lbs and more than adequate space for overnight bags.

The positions of the very comfortable front seats are easily adjusted and despite the initial perception to the contrary from outside the aircraft, visibility from inside the aircraft over the engine cowling is actually remarkably good.

The Garmin G1000’s twin flat-screen displays that dominate the instrument panel are nicely shaded by the glareshield and are easily readable in daylight. The G1000 system offers an incredible array of (switchable) functionality including flight instruments, engine and systems indications, and full GPS mapping mode, as well as Traffic Advisory information. This is a very sophisticated system and any pilot without previous “glass” experience would need to spend some time becoming operationally familiar with its multiple options.

Located at the far left side of the main instrument panel are the backup (round) dials for speed, altitude and attitude. Immediately to their left is the switching panel for pitot heaters and the door seals, while just below them are the rotary ignition switch and the primer switch.

The centre console houses the vapour suppression switch and flap selector. The flaps have only two extension settings—takeoff and landing—making flap selection a simple process.
The engine controls are all of the vernier type and I personally found these very user-friendly with good rates of graduation. An override push-pull function is quickly available by pushing the spring-loaded central release in their handles.

Completing the centre console is the automatic climate control system (ACCS). Located between the two front seats are the nav/comm keypad controller, the off/left/right rotary fuel tank selector and, of course, the regulation console storage for sunglasses and car keys.

The pilot’s control stick, which extends from the left sidewall, is nicely positioned and is easily manipulated (the right hand control stick stands a lot more upright just forward of the entry hatch). The grips on the sticks incorporate buttons for trim, autopilot disconnect, press-to-talk switches and control wheel steering.

The circuit breaker panel beside the pilot’s lower left leg is the only obvious deficiency I found in the cockpit layout, as its position makes it difficult to see, as well as precluding a second pilot in the right seat from potentially identifying and assisting with possible problems.

Because it is predominantly an “electrical” aircraft, the Cessna 400 is extremely well equipped in terms of electrical system redundancy. Its 28V system is duplicated in all respects with two batteries (either of which is individually capable of starting the engine) and two alternators (one gear and one belt driven), which have a cross-tie function in case one fails. Electrical system indications are clearly displayed on the multi-function display and any failure is clearly displayed, similar to the way it would be in a full EICAS system.

Upon taking the left hand seat for my test flight, I found the Continental TSIO-550C a breeze to start when hot compared to a normal fuel injected six, thanks to the Cessna 400’s vapour suppression system. Once started, the twin-turbocharged engine sounded crisp and ready for action, even at idle.

The nose wheel on the C-400 is fully castoring, so ground manoeuvring is accomplished via differential braking. This allows the aircraft to make very tight turns on the ground—but it also means that the nose wheel needs to be pointing in the right direction when power is applied, especially on the takeoff roll!

With three on board and our tanks just under half full, as we lined up for departure on Rwy-21 at North Shore, our all up weight was around 200 lbs below the certified maximum of 3,600 lbs.

While perhaps not exhilarating, acceleration was certainly not disappointing, and gentle back pressure on the control stick at 70 knots saw us easily clear the ground and leave this rather short strip behind (the company quotes 1,900 ft [579 metres] as the takeoff distance to clear a 50 ft obstacle).

The initial rate of climb of around 1,400 fpm was not record book stuff either, but it is more than adequate. Climbs are made at full power to ensure sufficient engine cooling. Acceleration to 170 knots in straight and level flight was easily achieved with medium power settings, at which cockpit noise levels were comfortably low.

Using higher power settings to achieve 180 knots at 2,500 ft and leaning (as recommended) to rich of peak resulted in a fuel flow of 17–18 gph. This is not a meagre flow by any means, but one cannot expect to travel at three nautical miles a minute without paying a price. Apparently, leaning further—to lean of peak—results in increased TAS, very smooth operation and quite significant fuel savings.

The Cessna 400’s control and trim responses are very positive throughout its speed range, all the way down to the stall. I uncovered no serious vices when stalling in any flap configuration and experienced only a gentle wing drop in the takeoff setting. Stall warnings were clearly audible and recovery was rapid with the application of power immediately upon releasing back pressure.

If one tires of hand flying this aircraft, the automatics—controlled by the autopilot switch panel on the left side of the right-hand MFD—take care of everything. Fully coupled through the primary flight display, all the big jet functions are available at one’s fingertips: flight director, heading select, flight level change, vertical speed—a complete package that works positively in all modes.

The demonstrator aircraft was loaded with a full New Zealand database so the latest in GPS and RNAV approaches were all available, and although the WAAS (wide area augmentation system) was inoperative in this country, it did not prevent the display of glide path information.

As we returned towards North Shore, the traffic advisory system and graphic terrain awareness system were kept busy announcing the presence of other traffic and obstacles—confidence boosting aids for a lone pilot in a relatively high performance aircraft.

Circuit patterns in the Cessna 400 are typical of a light aircraft and its checklists are conventional, with the exception of the electric fuel pump, which is selected to an “armed” position—ready to automatically assume the workload should the engine driven pump fail.

Get a little hot and high in the downwind leg and the speedbrakes will quickly assist in getting back on profile. They produce little buffet, and they extend and retract efficiently and quickly.

The limiting speed for flap extension to the takeoff position is 127 knots and a further ten-knot reduction to 117 knots is required before extending landing flap. Trim changes are not great with flap extension, and the attitude and runway perspective appear completely normal. The Cessna’s wing area of just a little over 141 ft2 is less than most light aircraft of similar proportions, so an approach speed in the region of 85–90 knots is typical for runway lengths at most of our country airports; on the shorter runway at North Shore, we crossed the fence at 80 knots—keeping straight with judicious independent braking during the rollout and turning off at the club taxiway without the need for harsh braking.

Shutdown is conventional for a turbo engine with a couple of minutes required to moderate and stabilise temperatures.

While the Cessna 400 is not a great short field performer, it is unlikely an owner would want to get it dirty on a soggy grass airstrip anyway; it is far happier operating from paved runways. This is an aircraft that can carry its occupants in supreme comfort, well above all of the terrain and much of the weather in New Zealand. While a four-place built oxygen system is installed, the relatively limited quantity of oxygen and the thought of breathing deeply behind a mask for hours on end are likely to reduce the number of “flight level” sorties to a minimum.

With a useable fuel quantity of 102 US gallons, the Cessna 400 is capable of long distance flights of up to 1,250 nm at economical cruise speeds.

This aircraft is not cheap at nearly $900,000 Kiwi dollars, but if the budget allows, there is so much to recommend it. It exudes quality: Bose headsets, remote keyless entry, lighted entry step, leather upholstery—the list is long and impressive.

I considered the Cessna 400 a delight to fly. My thanks to Chris Barry and Mark Kenyon from Flightline Aviation for allowing me the pleasure of occupying the left hand seat during my all-too-brief demonstration flight.

Cessna 400 Specifications:

Engine:

Teledyne Continental TSIO-550-C. 310 hp @ 2,600 rpm. Twin turbochargers, dual intercoolers. Fuel injected. High-pressure wet-sump oil system. Dual ignition.

Hartzell constant-speed 3-blade metal propeller with spinner.

Dimensions

Height: 2.74 m (9.0 ft)
Length: 7.74 m (25 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 10.92 m (35 ft 10 in)
Cabin height: 1.245 m (4 ft 1 in)
Cabin width: 1.245 m (4 ft 1 in)

Weights

Maximum ramp weight: 1,633 kg (3,600 lbs)
Maximum takeoff weight: 1,633 kg (3,600 lbs)
Maximum landing weight: 1,551 kg (3,420 lbs)
Standard empty weight: 1,168 kg (2,575 lbs)
Maximum useful load: 465 kg (1,025 lbs)
Baggage allowance: 54.4 kg (120 lbs)

Fuel capacity

Total capacity: 401 l (106 US gal)
Total capacity each tank: 201 l (53 US gal)
Total useable: 386 l (102 US gal)

Performance:

Maximum speed (85% at 25,000 ft): 235 kt
Cruise speed (65% at 25,000 ft): 179 kt
Range at max cruise speed (85% at 25,000 ft): 825 nm (1,528 km)
Range at economy cruise speed (55% at 25,000 ft): 1,250 nm (2,315 km)
Maximum rate of climb (SL, ISA, MTOW): 1,400 ft/min
Certified Ceiling: 25,000 ft
Takeoff distance ground roll (SL): 396 m (1,300 ft)
Takeoff to clear 50 ft obstacle: 579 m (1,900 ft)
Landing distance ground roll (SL): 381 m (1,250 ft)
Landing distance to clear 50 ft obstacle: 793 m (2,600 ft)