Kentucky Car Dealer Likes Foxstar's Extra Speed
Randy Mann---operator of Mann Chrysler-Plymouth in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky---is a busy auto dealer who uses a Baron for business travel. Although Mann is a nonpilot he still appreciates the improvements the Foxstar modification made to his airplane.
He said he likes the quieter, smoother ride and the higher cruise speeds. It took 40 minutes off our flying time from Mt. Sterling to Orlando," Mann said. His pilot, Perry Sloan, is also very impressed with the Foxstar conversion. "I just can't say enough good things about it," Sloan said. "It has a lot better performance on climbout. The first time I flew it I just couldn't believe it. It was a lot smoother, a lot quieter, it just made a whole different airplane out of it. But the one thing that caught my attention was climbout performance. I saw a huge difference in it," he said. And, like Randy Mann, Sloan said he has noticed the faster cruise speeds following the Foxstar modification. "It has really shaved a lot of time off trips," he said. Sloan noted that passengers also have noticed the Foxstar's quieter, smoother ride.
"Passengers have mentioned that the airplane is considerably quieter and considerably smoother. There's actually no vibration whatsoever. The difference has just been so dramatic. This was my first experience flying with the four blade "Q-Tip" props and I was very impressed with them," Sloan said.
When asked whether he would recommend the Foxstar conversion to other Baron owners and pilots, Sloan responded, "I would highly recommend it to any Baron pilot. The complete package just makes a whole different airplane out of it. I am very pleased with the performance---the way it climbs out---especially the quietness---just everything is much better than what it was."
Another pilot of a recently modified Foxstar Baron echoed much of what Sloan said. Jason Greubel is a charter pilot with Aero Charter, Incorporated, in Chesterfield, Missouri. He said he was very pleased with all aspects of the conversion but was very impressed by the additional speed and climb performance. "The conversion seems to give it an extra 15 knots. The climb performance is outrageous," Greubel said.
So what is it about the Colemill Foxstar Baron that makes owners and pilots so happy? Actually it's a number of things---all working together---that make the Foxstar the great airplane it is.
The modification begins with the installation of the highly reliable Continental IO-550 300 h.p. engines. These are the engines that are built super tough with a heavy duty crankcase and additional cylinder hold-downs for extra strength. The IO-550 is built under what is known as the "minimum horsepower" concept. That means it always produces at least 300 horsepower---never less and usually more. It is also the only engine Continental says is okay to run on the lean side of peak EGT. These powerful engines contribute greatly to the Foxstar's dramatic increases in climb and speed.
Also playing a part in the improved climb and speed are the "Zip-Tip" winglets on the Foxstar. But the winglets do more than just increasing the climb rates and speed. They also assist in giving the Foxstar its smooth ride by increasing stability---especially stability in turns and in turbulence. The winglets also provide the additional lift to allow approaches to be flown slower---a big help when going into short fields.
The Foxstar conversion also includes installation of Colemill's four blade "Q-Tip" propellers. These props are what give the Foxstar its incredibly quiet, smooth, vibration free ride. The shorter prop blades also improve ground clearance and reduce the risk of blade tips picking up debris from runways and taxiways. New governors, spinners, a synchrophaser, and an unfeathering accumulator are also included.
Another Foxstar feature is a Shadin Digiflow fuel computer. This fuel flow monitoring system reduces pilot workload by providing highly accurate answers to all questions concerning fuel and time.
With all these improvements, it's easy to understand why pilots such as Perry Sloan call the Colemill Foxstar Baron "a whole different airplane."
