Well, it did come with a pylon mounted engines as the prototype MU2A:

Didn't have single point, but also didn't have tip tanks, either.

Engines were Astazou which mostly got used on helicopters, about 500 HP each, but had cool annular intakes. Only a few MU2A ever made, never sold, switched to TPE331 for production.

You can't put turbofans on the MU2 (or other turboprops) since they aren't built for it. They don't have the cabin PSI to go higher, the brakes to stop, the fuel system to deliver the flow rates, the fuel capacity to have reasonable range, the stability to fly in thin air, and on and on...

Mike C.

Eyeballing the MU-2 and the Mitsubishi Diamond MU-300 that became the Beechjet 400 there seems to be some similar design elements. The MU-300 came 15 years after the MU-2. I don't know how much similar systems were used between the two models but wouldn't surprise me coming from the same family.

look at a picture of an AN12. Wing is above the fuselage, gear is below and to the side of it. The money-making tube is completely unobstructed. No stability issues with "narrow" gear in fact it's an advantage since it can operate on a narrower hard surface. Having wheels far out under the wings is a real handicap when operating on semi-prepared surfaces.

The low wings of a Citation are a real issue when operating in the winter at small airports who pile up snow banks along the taxiways.

AN12 main landing gear goes into the baggage hold.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31zXWNRZxFg

Thus it is affecting the "tube". Takes away baggage space. Fuselage pressurization vessel isn't round any more where the gear is (which adds weight for structure).

Small GA planes don't have a baggage hold under the passenger compartment. Requires a "big" airplane to make that work, not something personal jet sized.

Gear in wing doesn't have those problems, fuselage can stay round (witness the 525 Citations where they drop the spar under the fuselage just to not break the roundness).

Mike C.

Yes, but the Diamond was designed to be a jet, the MU2 to be a turboprop. You can't switch engines alone.

Mike C.

I was driving by KSJC about a year ago and saw a plane that looked exactly like an MU2 with turbofans under the wings. I wish I could have taken a picture but I was moving in traffic.

Vince

Probably a Do328 Jet. A lot bigger than an MU2.

Mike C.

I was driving by KSJC about a year ago and saw a plane that looked exactly like an MU2 with turbofans under the wings. I wish I could have taken a picture but I was moving in traffic.

Vince

Fueling an MU2 is no fun. I hardly ever do it myself, maybe once a year.

Note that many times, though, you only require fueling the tips, which isn't too bad.


It seems pretty obvious to airline passengers, the wing tip bouncing all around in turbulence.

I can tell if my MU2 has been fueled as I drive up to the airport just from the wing sag. It is about 8 inches from empty to full. No need to dip the tip tanks!

Mike C.

Well, it did come with a pylon mounted engines as the prototype MU2A:

Didn't have single point, but also didn't have tip tanks, either.

Engines were Astazou which mostly got used on helicopters, about 500 HP each, but had cool annular intakes. Only a few MU2A ever made, never sold, switched to TPE331 for production.

You can't put turbofans on the MU2 (or other turboprops) since they aren't built for it. They don't have the cabin PSI to go higher, the brakes to stop, the fuel system to deliver the flow rates, the fuel capacity to have reasonable range, the stability to fly in thin air, and on and on...

Mike C.

Not really, yes there is a bump for the mainwheels but it doesn't infringe on the cargo rollers, and thered is plenty of room to drive an truck in between them. The fuselage isn't round to start with and very few of them have pressurized cargo holds. Here is a shot of how ours were configured. The question i was responding to pertained to stability with the narrow gear. i found that it was no problem, and in general the narrow gear footprint was a huge advantage on the ground

Early Honda

I have almost 3000 hours in my favorite airplane, the Avro RJ85 (Bae-146). I had one passenger quite agitated before pushback, insistent that the baggage doors had not been secured closed. Sitting exactly mid-fuselage, with the wheels underneath the massive gear doors, I'm sure many other people thought the same thing at one time or other.

Probably a Do328 Jet. A lot bigger than an MU2.
Mike C.