User:Fly182mt/sandbox

Intro
The Cessna Model 425 originally known as Corsair and later Conquest I, is a pressurized, turboprop airplane certified for eight occupants but is usually configured to seat six. According to The Aviation Consumer in the late 1970’s, the King Air was on the market and because of its level of performance it was causing some Cessna owners to switch over from their current Cessna to the Beechcraft due to the added power it had without a very high price jump. Cessna did have the Cessna 441 Conquest as an upgrade to people currently in the Cessna 421 model; however, the price jump was simply too much along with the loss of piloting ease. This is what caused owners to start leaving the Cessna line and turning toward the C90 Beech. Cessna did not want to lose too many people to the competition, so in 1980 they came out with the first ever Cessna 425 Corsair. It was essentially a redesigned version of the 421; they took the 375 horsepower engines and switched them out for two 450 horse power Pratt & Whitney PT6. The fuel capability of this plane increased by 1072 pounds and so did the maximum takeoff weight by 750 pounds. “The result was an $875,000 pressurized twin-turboprop that could fly 15 knots to 20 knots faster than the C90, cruise 250 miles farther with four passengers aboard and burn 15-percent less fuel. It also cost $200,000 less to buy”. “The 425 probably is the simplest of all turboprops to transition to. Thus the name baby carriage”.

Cockpit and Cabin
The cockpit on the 425 is well organized making it easy for single pilot operations. A spacious cockpit makes it comfortable for pilots of average to large size. Due to the good visibility and ease of control it is a simple plane to fly as long as the pilot has received some training hours in this particular model. The hardest part of piloting this plane comes once it is on the ground in both the pre and post-trip inspections that must be completed. Certain procedures can be learned to help speed this process up and eliminate workload. The pilot is not the only one who will be comfortable, though; this plane has a spacious cabin with lots of elbow room, generous windows, and comfortable seats making the passengers flight very enjoyable also.

Transition to Conquest I
However, buyers were not satisfied with the 425 Corsair, having complaints such as it needed more room in the cabin or the max takeoff weight wasn’t high enough. So Cessna started working on some upgrades that would allow more cabin space and passengers. Essentially the upgrades increased max takeoff weight. This plane was still called a 425 series; however, it was named the 425 Conquest I. That name previously belonged to the Cessna 441. However upon the upgrade of the 425, they began calling it the Conquest I and calling the 441 the Conquest II. Designers increased the max takeoff weight in 1983 from 8,200 pounds up to 8,600 pounds, allowing the plane to takeoff with more weight on board. This allowed the plane to be able to carry one pilot and usually four passengers. Cessna did consider the owners of the older model Corsair’s, making a service kit for those that would allow the max takeoff weight to be upgraded to the same as the Conquest I. Most Corsair’s in the United States have been upgraded with only a few or possibly none still existing with the lower takeoff weight.

End of an Era
By the 1980’s, business jet manufacturing had a much larger market than the turboprops and due to slow sales from a recent recession, the 425 model just wasn’t selling as expected. It was in 1986 that Cessna stopped manufacturing the 425 series. When production had stopped, Cessna had delivered 234 of these aircraft many of which are still in wide use today. Even in the world of high priced jets today, the Cessna 425 still serves many people in aviation and does exactly what they need. “They can depart a 2,500-foot runway, assuming standard-day conditions, climb directly to FL 250 and cruise 1,125 nm with four passengers aboard, assuming they're certified for the 8,600-pound MTOW. With a 92 KIAS VMCA, these aircraft are easy to fly on one engine and docile in the landing pattern”. However, the service ceilings are one major shortcoming for this plane. Due to the pressurization system, this plane is only able to cruise at FL270 or 27,000 feet. However, this is not a major problem because the engines on this plane are poor high- altitude performers, and an upgrade kit for them can be as costly as $600,000.