All Hail The Aero-Heroes of 2007!
It is both the most "fun," and most difficult, task facing the
ANN staff at the end of every year -- determining who, or what, did
the most to promote the cause of aviation in the past 365 days...
while also chastising those people or entities that did all they
could to undermine the many successes the aviation/aerospace
community has managed to accomplish.
Thankfully, 2007 was a year in which we saw the best and
brightest among us step forward and work tirelessly on behalf of us
all. No doubt about it... the challenges we faced in 2007 were
numerous, and ongoing... so was the quality of expertise and
passion brought to our defense by those who heroically demonstrated
to the world the very best side of aviation... via their deeds,
words and actions.
It is ANN's honor to recognize a solid dozen of our Aero-Heroes
for 2007... in something of an informal order, starting from 12th
to the 1st. Let us know what you think of our selections... whom
YOU would have liked be included or omitted from such a list. In
the meantime, we thank the folks who made this year's list. Thank
you, folks... we really needed you this year, and you didn't let us
down.
From the Hero's List... #10: Alternative Fuels/Powerplants
AvGas is lovely stuff... but it's getting more expensive by the
day -- and there are rumors that its availability may soon be
endangered by any number of unseemly factors. Be that as it may...
it's time for a change and the rush to alternative fuels and
alternatively fueled powerplants couldn't come fast enough for
those of us at ANN. We're happy to say the the alternative fuel
revolution is in full swing.
Pretty much pioneered in North America by the forward-looking
folks of Diamond Aircraft, Thielert diesels have been a fact of
life on the DA42 for several years now. Overseas, Thielert diesels
have been powering DA40s even longer, and putting together a
reasonably impressive record for such a new powerplant. Thielert
diesels, of course, run on Jet A as well as a number of associated
alternative fuels. Other manufacturers are bringing diesel and
alternative fueled powerplants to the market, but the recent (and
revolutionary) introduction of the Thielert-powered Cessna 172
certainly makes the alternative fuel revolution look truly credible
(and dare we say it... ACCEPTABLE?) for the first time in recent
aviation history.
The main reason we're so 'up' on alternative fuels actually has
little to do with the fuel itself... but, with the fact that
alternative fuels are simply going to be burned by new engines with
modern engineering. Older engines are not likely to be easily
converted to alternative fuels, so that task is likely to be placed
upon a new generation of powerplants, and a new generation of
companies willing to provide them.
Just recently, in an
exclusive ANN interview with the new CEO of Teledyne Continental,
Rhett Ross (a guy that seems to have a good handle on what TCM's
next steps must be in order to maintain industry dominance) it was
obvious that one of the most progressive piston engine
manufacturers in the world, namely TCM, realizes that the days of
the conventional piston engine are numbered. Ross (pictured below)
and TCM have made a strong commitment to FADEC controlled engines
(which will allow for some significant latitude in the types of
avgas-like fuels we burn), as well as indicating a strong
commitment to alternative fueled engines. It is this kind of
activity and this kind of commitment on the part of a major
powerplant manufacturer that makes the future of alternatively
fueled powerplants a bright one... a damned bright one. Aviation
can only benefit as a result of the use of new technologies,
aviation has much to gain by having a choice of new and hopefully
less expensive (but certainly more available) fuels and let's face
it, aviation has been held hostage to 50 year old engine technology
for 49 years too long.
With companies like TCM and Thielert to lead the way, the future
of aviation seems to have a chance to FINAALY fill in the
last of the critical three parameters we needed for complete
aviation airframe renewal and revolution... we FINALLY started
building airplanes with new materials and processes, we FINALLY
adapted the latest new electronic technologies to our cockpits, and
FINALLY we have the chance to fly something, firewall forward, that
wasn't designed while our grandfathers were still in diapers.
Bravo!
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