Single Engine Taxi

[jchronic]

Greetings All:

Brand new to the Forum and looking forward to learning much more about this airplane from the experience evident on this site. I've been flying both a 336 and a 337 on marine mammal surveys for about a year, and thoroughly enjoy the airplanes.

Question: Having a minor disagreement with my flying partner; he gets uncomfortable when I shut down the front engine and taxi on the rear only. Is there any reason why this is unsafe and/or a bad practice?

Thanks-
Joe C.

[hharney]

I do this is certain cases, primarily when I have landed and I taxi up to a tarmac while being directed by ramp personel. It is just a safety courtesy for the line crew as the aircraft is parked. I won't do it when I taxi out for take off, obvious reasons. Some considerations when doing this, the rear engine oil temp will rise faster than the front during prolonged ramp times. During long times on the ramp, especially while not moving, the rear engine may reach max oil temp before the front. In these cases I have shut down the rear. The first incident that comes to mind is departures at Oshkosh. Not sure your specific case but these pratices are fairly common for the Skymaster.

[John Hoffman]

If I suspect the taxiway/apron could be dirty I wouldnt hesitate to shut the front down to taxi in but taxi out for takeoff with both engines for the reasons Herb has mentioned.

[Ernie Martin]

Aside from temperature issues and the risk of takeoff on a single engine, no reason why you can't taxi on a single engine. Regarding temperature, I often taxi out on only the front engine in Nassau, when I see a long line of airplanes taxiing ahead of me and the tower comm suggests many inbound. And of course it's always hot. So the heat and the wait simply don't permit for the rear engine to be on. I wait until I'm second for take-off to start the rear engine and my reminder is that I never do the pre-flight 1800 RPM checks on either engine until then, until both are running and I'm at the head of the line.

Ernie

[skymstr02]

Just think of this--the only cooling air going to the rear engine comes in thru the scoop on top of the cabin. The only way that air flows into that is to be pushed by the front prop, or air/ground speed. The rear prop doesn't suck enough air to flow around the cylinder cooling fins. You could be damaging the engine by localized heating that is not read on instruments on the panel.

Taxiing in with the front engine running is no more dangerous than taxiing in in a 182 or a 210.

[Dale Campbell]

I fly from a short and somewhat dirty field. The runway is paved but nothing else is paved. I start both engines on my concrete pad in front of hanger that I know is clean. I sit there until the engines get into the green. I then put the front engine at idle and use the rear engine to power me to the runway. I do my run up where the runway is clean. After landing I shut down front engine as I leave the paved runway to taxi back to hanger, so front engine does not kick up dirt and drive it into rear prop.

[John Hoffman]

That was my thought re. shuting/or idiling the front engine. Being able to taxi with that rear engine mounted up high is just another Skymaster standard benefit.