I was doing some training at Prescott, AZ (KPRC) today. We did a bunch of approaches, air work, etc. One of them was a complete engine shut down and restart. The shut down went well, the restart, no so much. I think I have the issue identified and it will be addressed tomorrow.

There were two of us on board and full fuel when departing KPRC less than a half hour prior. KPRC is at 5,000 ft and we were at 8,500 ft when we shut the engine down over Seligman airport, P23.

Couldn't get the darned engine started after the shutdown. With everything forward, it was easy to get a respectable climb. Initially I climbed from 8,500 ft to 9,500 ft before deciding that was no longer necessary so instead of landing at P23 I pulled the power back to just a bit above normal cruise settings we went back to KPRC. Effortlessly. No sweat, no stress. Uneventful single engine landing. Pressurization was intact throughout.

The single engine approaches, zero thrust, before that were equally boring too. No adverse yaw, no excitement, just a little loss of airspeed. With one engine feathered or at zero thrust it handles like a 182.

Even my Colemill Baron wouldn't have handled an actual engine out under those conditions and been able to climb.

For both the simulated and real engine outs today my instructor simply couldn't believe how much of a non-event these were. He's a great instructor but had no previous 337 time.

I like this airplane

Thats pretty cool. I like the Skymaster and have 5 hours in a Riley Rocket P337.

Are you sure a Colemill Baron won't climb on one engine at 8500???

Also, would you mind sharing what was inhibiting your re-start, for the memory bank

At max weight it will be clawing for climb, hanging uncomfortably on blue line -- maybe 150fpm or so on fresh motors and good technique, zilch on tired ones or sloppy technique. Light weight, no problem, 500+fpm. True of any twin really.

I'll find out for sure later today but I think it was a bad battery. It was showing 28+V but I had it serviced recently since it was turning over the engines slowly and was told three cells were low but since the battery is just one year old I chose to have it serviced and see how it did. The prop wouldn't even begin to turn when I engaged the starter to get it windmilling.

It starts fine on the ground, albeit a bit slow turning over so I'm not 100% sure that's it. The IA will have to check it out and tel me.

A Colemill Baron with 2 People and full fuel will easily climb 300-500 FPM on one engine at 8500. All my P2 Barons would climb well above 10k on one engine.

I spent bunch of time lately teaching in our C55 above at 10-12K'. After shutting one down, they do better than you'd think - level flight it does an easy 20Kts above blue line, full fuel, two people, cold outside - it'll eek-out 200-300FPM at blue line.

Did the same thing with Mark Hangen the other day in his 310 (I think its a colemill). Mark was surprised how well his 310 did up there.

Interesting that in both the baron and the 310, if you get say 10 kts below blueline, it won't catch-up. Not sure if it is behind the power curve, but it flies like that.

Not to say the 337 isn't better and easier but the barons aren't as bad as stated.

Mine wasn't the President II Colemill Baron so that may be the difference between mine (and Mike's) experience and yours.

I could get a couple hundred FPM climb at a DA of about 4,000 ft.

I didn't say the Barons are bad, just "even my Colemill Baron wouldn't have handled an actual engine out under those conditions and been able to climb."

At 8,000 ft, my Colemill Baron would maintain altitude but not climb (not descend either).

Just my experiences with the airplane I've actually owned and flown.

Ken,

So I've done a little digging with out much luck finding info about the P337. Not that it would work for me now as I'm filling all the seats and baggage compartments in the 58 Baron right now.

But I did get to fly a regular 337 a couple weeks ago with our local mechanic. Initial thoughts were that I'm spoiled with the baron. But I sure did like the view from the 337. Sitting infront of the wing provided a great POV! And with 3 of us in the plane and about half fuel it seemed to get up and go just fine.

So I'm curious about your P model. FF, cruise performance, climb rates and so forth.

New battery installed today, went to altitude and shut down the front engine. It started right back up just fine. Same for the rear engine. It seems to have been the battery.

It is kind of weird that you can start on the ground, but you can't start in the air, even with the other engine's alternator having just charged the battery up solidly.

Mike C.

New battery installed today, went to altitude and shut down the front engine. It started right back up just fine. Same for the rear engine. It seems to have been the battery.

It is kind of weird that you can start on the ground, but you can't start in the air, even with the other engine's alternator having just charged the battery up solidly.

Out of curiosity, which engine did you shut down? I've heard anecdotally that performance differs depending on which one is in the bag.

Also... No accumulators?

I don't believe any 337s have unfeathering accumulators but I could be wrong. My airplane does not have them.

The 336s (fixed gear) had better performance on the rear engine than the front. My P337 says "either engine" in all of the performance data so it apparently doesn't matter. Today I shut down first the front, restarted it, then shut down the rear, then restarted it.