Engine-maker Lycoming showed everyone at Oshkosh that while they
may have been a mite quiet of late, they sure haven't been idle.
NOT by a long shot...
One of the first, of several announcements, was a "powerful"
one... something that they described as a 'new standard' for
piston engine controls in its IE2 Series engines. Starting with its
twin-turbocharged, 350-HP TEO-540-A1A flat six, Lycoming plans to
certify its new Integrated Electronic Engine technology across its
entire line. Sr. VP and General Manager Ian Walsh explained that
the 540 was chosen to get the technology first, not because the
company felt the demand was greatest on that platform, but because
it would show that the system was ready for even one of Lycoming's
largest, most complex, most powerful products.
The IE2 technology essentially brings the legacy engine
configurations in line with the technology found on high end
automotive control platforms. Fuel delivery, timing and other
performance factors are managed, not as overall averages as in
typical aircraft FADEC systems, but individually for each
cylinder.
Lycoming says benefits include electronic knock detection,
laying the groundwork for alternative fuels in the future, ease in
starting similar to modern cars, and even automated pre-flight
engine checks. Walsh added at the Monday press conference that fuel
economy rises as much as 10-15 percent in cruise.
When everyone picked their jaws off the floor, Lycoming also
reported other engine advances. Drawing from the solid O-235
platform proven over decades, a new IO-233-LSA variant has been
designed and lightened, given throttle-body fuel injection and
electronic ignition, while offering 100 continuous horsepower in as
little as 200 pounds dry weight. The new engine is targeted at the
light sport segment, where Rotax has built a big sales lead with
its 900-series, water-cooled four-strokes, and Continental recently
introduced its updated O-200D, chosen by Cessna as the powerplant
for its Model 162 SkyCatcher.
The new Lycoming IO-233 will enter the market with a
time-between-overhaul of 2,400 hours, competitive with
Continental's offering, and without the complexity of water cooling
and the gear reduction drive found on the Rotax engines. It will
also be capable of running on even low-octane automotive gasolines,
provided they contain no alcohol.
Lycoming also confirmed that its 390-cubic-inch four-cylinder
engine, which has been available for several years as a powerplant
for experimental aircraft, will join the Lycoming certified engine
family this November. The 390 fits in the same space required for
the 360-series, but offers slightly more power.
And finally, they described an innovative new program to assist
existing aircraft owners who wish to install new Lycoming engines.
Called the Echelon STC Program, the first retrofit to be certified
will be the new IO-390-A1A6 engine for the Cessna 177RG. The engine
installation will be STC'd in a package which includes a McCauley
prop and Slick Start ignition, and program launch is set for this
fall.
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