Random Griz Aviation Musings

[sevenhelmet]

Thank goodness for this. It really bugs me that piston engines are still using 1920’s tractor engine technology on modern aircraft.

Some goods and others there. In short, mags are still the standard because they’re reliable and redundant. However, as I recently learned, they misfire a certain percentage of the time- which is part of why RPMs drop when you turn one off).

EIS won’t get you more power (it could, but the airplane would have to be re-certified), but it does run smoother than mags. The electrical system is beefed up for some additional redundancy, since this completely replaces traditional magnetos.

 

[ChuckMK23]

We have a new tenant in the hanger next door to my flying club. What a beautiful looking machine. Leonardo AW169 the epitome of Single Pilot IFR all weather medical transport.

 

[Griz882]

We have a new tenant in the hanger next door to my flying club. What a beautiful looking machine. Leonardo AW169 the epitome of Single Pilot IFR all weather medical transport. View attachment 44779View attachment 44780

Ask for a ride!

 

[ChuckMK23]

Ask for a ride!

I did! Was chatting with the duty pilot as I wait for night time so I can rehack nights.

The 169 has a small foothold in North America. Pilots all trained in Finland first in a fixed base sim the type training in an actual aircraft

No 1 engine has a accessory/APU mode declutched like the H-3. No physical power levers it's all digital.

The 169 is being used in Northeast supporting wind farms and in Sabine Texas doing ship/harbor pilot work.

Stunning aircraft.

 

[ChuckMK23]

BTW, no AP and steam gauges tonight! No electric trim even! Waiting for dark in the run-up area.

 

[Gatordev]

I recently flew a new production 182 and its definitely a step in the right direction.

All for the low, low price of ~$500K-700K. And for a Cessna. It's tough to get excited about the current state of GA, and the FAA isn't helping.

EIS won’t get you more power

Rated power, yes, but the engine can certainly make more power, albeit running hotter. There's a lot of owners of the plane I have that have put Sureflys in their planes and have seen increased performance (more efficient fuel burn without the loss of power/speed). Couple that with an engine rebuilt by the likes of Lycon and they're seeing at least 200 hp on the dyno for a O-360 (180hp). I know that's an extra variable, but just demonstrating that the cert didn't change, but the performance did.

I ended up replacing my mags last year at annual and decided NOT to go with a Surefly. Not because I didn't like the idea of the technology, but there seems to be a large influx of Surefly failures over the last year or two. I wanted to give one a shot, but the hassle of having deal with the potential of trouble-shooting and more down time for a plane that had already had a lot of down time that year due to upgrades and repairs wasn't worth it to me.

 

[VMO4]

Back in my experimental aviation days, EIS was all the rage. Many replaced both mags and usually did get a little more power. However, most people after a few failures went back to one EIS and one traditional mag. Haven't really followed the technology since about 2015, but there always seemed to be someone on the Van's page with an electrical issue causing an outage with the EIS.

 

[sevenhelmet]

All for the low, low price of ~$500K-700K. And for a Cessna. It's tough to get excited about the current state of GA, and the FAA isn't helping.



Rated power, yes, but the engine can certainly make more power, albeit running hotter. There's a lot of owners of the plane I have that have put Sureflys in their planes and have seen increased performance (more efficient fuel burn without the loss of power/speed). Couple that with an engine rebuilt by the likes of Lycon and they're seeing at least 200 hp on the dyno for a O-360 (180hp). I know that's an extra variable, but just demonstrating that the cert didn't change, but the performance did.

I ended up replacing my mags last year at annual and decided NOT to go with a Surefly. Not because I didn't like the idea of the technology, but there seems to be a large influx of Surefly failures over the last year or two. I wanted to give one a shot, but the hassle of having deal with the potential of trouble-shooting and more down time for a plane that had already had a lot of down time that year due to upgrades and repairs wasn't worth it to me.

I should clarify that if my employer (the OEM) makes more power with EIS, they’d have to retest and recertify, making the airplane even more expensive than it already is.

There isn’t anything stopping an owner from doing an STC or going experimental with theirs.