Dick Rutan Flies Modified Cirrus SR22 Powered By The Diesel V-8

A Cirrus SR22 powered by an Engineered Propulsion Systems (EPS) Graflight  V-8 Diesel engine made its first test flight May 2nd in Mojave, CA with Dick Rutan at the controls of the airplane.

According to the EPS blog, Rutan flew the airplane up to 5,000 feet for a 20 minute test regimen. On the first flight, the engine was reportedly so quiet that Mojave Air and Spaceport Manager Stu Witt complained he could barely hear the engine noise above the roar of Mike Melvill’s chase plane, a self-built Long-EZ.

The flight marked the beginning of the engine’s lengthy flight test program, which will last several months with Dick Rutan managing the flights and putting the engine through its paces, racking up more than 40 hours over the next three months to meet the FAA requirements that will allow the Cirrus to make its maiden voyage to EAA Airventure at Oshkosh this summer, where the Graflight V-8 will make its formal debut.

Throughout the testing phase, EPS will be monitoring 80 different channels of data on the engine, focusing mainly on pressures and temperatures of oils and coolants, and closely monitoring intake and cooling air. The engineers will also be monitoring drivetrain vibrations, horsepower, and fuel economy in flight.

EPS says that at the end of the test phase it will have proven definitively that the fuel savings recorded in over 500 hours of ground testing is equaled or greater in actual flight. The team will also have a better perspective on engine wear and maintenance requirements and work on the engine’s pilot interface will begin, a process that will be managed and informed by Dick Rutan’s extensive experience as pilot in command.

(Image from EPS YouTube video)

FMI: http://eps.aero/the-eps-engine/flight-testing/