After surviving two engine failures in pistons (421 and P210), I am thankful to have an MU-2F model under contract as of today.

I flew it with Jerry Adcock on Monday. It passed the in-flight NTS test, and apart from a few minor issues and some need for TLC, I am very excited to start this journey.

Congrats! Very cool. How does it fly and handle your mission compared to the C421? Is the cabin/cockpit size a major downgrade in comfort? Was insurance comparable at all? I heard the c421 is one of the quietest and this aircraft one of the loudest. What do you think? Good luck with your new bird.

Congrats!!!

Can I get a ride?

Grats.. you got a screaming deal!

Absolutely, I owe you one anyway.

Jerry is a great instructor, but in airplane training has certain limitations. I strongly recommend you get some sim time, and Simcom in Orlando is the only place I know of to get that.

Train properly, fly within bounds, and it will reward you with performance and safety. Fail to do either one and you will put yourself at risk.

An F model MU2 is an amazing amount of performance for the money.

If TN works for service, recommend visiting Chuck at M02 (Dickson, TN).

Mike C.

Congrats. F model is an efficient plane!

Don’t forget to get those Bleeds off at shutdown or before the next start. Keep all the air inside the motor during starts.

I have some great technical manuals if you like that sort of thing.

Tj

I flew it for an hour on Monday, and I will say it handles differently. For instance, it requires more aileron input at slow speeds. It feels sort of wobbly on the runway if there is a crosswind. Stalls were very benign. I am sure it will take some time to get used to. I start training in two weeks, so perhaps ask me again after 50 hours.

The cabin "feels" bigger than the 421, and getting in and out is easier since there is no airstair. I would guess though that the 421's cabin is a tad bigger, but likely narrower and longer.

On paper, the range will be better than the 421, and I think fuel costs will be very similar since the F model is the "economy model." It burns more fuel than a 421 (55-60 GPH vs. 40 GPH in the 421), but it's 50 knots faster, and Jet fuel is cheaper.

It was not as loud as I thought it would be. I would say it is comparable to the P210 but definitely worse than the 421. However, the noise was not intolerable, even with a headset without ANR, which is what I used for the flight. I once flew a Merlin III with a 3-bladed prop. Although it has the same engine as the MU-2, it was WAY louder to me.

Jerry is a great instructor, but in airplane training has certain limitations. I strongly recommend you get some sim time, and Simcom in Orlando is the only place I know of to get that.

Train properly, fly within bounds, and it will reward you with performance and safety. Fail to do either one and you will put yourself at risk.

An F model MU2 is an amazing amount of performance for the money.

If TN works for service, recommend visiting Chuck at M02 (Dickson, TN).

Mike C.

Indeed, that is "my thing". I will PM you.

Hilgard

Incredible to think that some Supercubs command similar money!

The spoilers require more input generally than ailerons. This is why the MU2 yoke is so wide compared to other planes, to give the pilot more leverage for the spoilers. On the plus side, you can't stall a wing with excessive roll input and there is no adverse yaw. The spoilers remain effective into the stall.

The wide yoke sometimes causes issues with a right front seat passenger. I had the extended seat tracks so they could be slid back pretty far, but a long legged right seater can get their knees into the yoke. Have them sit cross legged to make clearance.


The narrow stance gear and the high roll inertia (with fuel in the tip tanks especially) make it kind of wobbly. Your 421 was rock solid (like my Citation) with wide stance short gear legs. The MU2 is not like that. It takes a skilled mechanic to balance the fluid and gas in the struts so an MU2 sits level through out the temperature range.


Amazing, isn't it? Little tiny wing and it can be so gentle at times.

Now power on stalls can be a real handful. That's one area of the envelope to be careful with. A good portion of the wing is in the prop wash, so the plane can fly a lot slower than the published stall speed with power. But then that power goes away or the stall breaks, you are in a brick until you get some speed.


MU2s suffer from a "reverse honeymoon effect". You will get a bit frustrated with it shortly into flying it, but then once you get past that, you come to love it. The MU2 is very honest, it does exactly what you tell it to do, so you better tell it the right thing!


I predict the MU2 will fly for equal or less per mile than your 421.


On the inside. On the outside on the ground, it is very noisy. On the outside in the air, not really bad, like a King Air.

Mike C.

Mike is right on all of it, but just to augment.

I figured out the yoke movement when someone pointed out to me that the MU2 yoke rotates a full 90° in each direction, whereas most airplanes have only 45° yoke rotation in each direction. So it takes a bit more movement to make a large input. But the spoilers are pretty effective in roll.

And the ground handling I thought of kind of like a roller skate. You definitely will get used to turning the yoke into a crosswind on the ground. Turn it full down as the takeoff roll starts and reduce that input as the plane gains speed on the ground. It’s not unusual or abnormal, but the high wing makes it need a little more input than some.

Give it 50 hours to get used to it is true, as is the grow to love it part. Enjoy!

Congrats. You stated: "Previously, I could not import one into Canada,"
Being myself in Canada, I have to ask, what was the problem importing one? Plenty of C-registered MU2s operating in Canada.

Congratulations Hilgard, good to have a fellow F model owner to converse with. I hope you enjoy your new ride as much as I enjoy mine!

Jeff Axel
N228WP