Experimenter

OCT 2014

Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.

Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/401344

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30 Vol.3 No.10 / October 2014 UNDER THE COWL I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT EAA Founder Paul Poberezny often said, "You have to have the engine before you can build the airplane." You don't have to be a prophet to understand this statement, but the reality—especially in the past—was much dif erent. An eager aircraft designer would create a capable airframe/aircraft. But projects often disappeared because the appropriate engines were missing. In those days, lots of homebuilders started "inventing" their own engines. This often led to projects coming to a complete stop. In the past decade, we have witnessed more new engines getting to the market quicker and becoming available to experi- mental builders and even to the certifi ed aircraft world. The best example for this is the Rotax 912 engine. At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014, we saw numerous new aviation gasoline and turbo-diesel engines on display in vari- ous states of development. The biggest news was in the diesel fi eld; these compression-ignited engines run on Jet A and diesel fuels rather than on avgas, a fuel that's increasingly hard if not impossible to fi nd outside of the Americas and Europe. Avgas costs north of $14 per gallon in certain parts of the world, and it contains lead, which is potentially harmful to the ecosystem. So, several traditional general aviation (GA) engine manufactur- ers and a few newcomers are rushing into the new turbo-diesel engine fi eld that is promising a big share on new markets. Contrary to traditional diesels that are fi tted with me- chanical injection pumps (such as with SMA), most of the new automotive originating diesel engines are fi tted with electri- cally powered, full-authority digital engine controls that need, besides traditional batteries, additional or enhanced electric current reserves/redundancy. The result is that those new engines are much more fuel ef cient than their gasoline coun- terparts (especially on cruise power settings), but due to the sophisticated technology used, they tend to be more compli- cated. In short, the new diesel engines have lost weight, sip fuel but (still) have short TBOs, and are (much) more expen- sive than traditional powerplants. Here's a look at some of the engines we saw at AirVenture 2014. CONTINENTAL MOTORS GROUP For the Continental Motors Group Co. Ltd. of Hong Kong, China, AirVenture was one of the busiest events in recent his- tory. The most important message was the announcement of a new V-6 diesel engine called the CD-300. The CD-300 series engine has 3-liter displacement and generates up to 310 hp (228 kilowatts) at 2,300 rpm for low operating noise. Continental equips all of its CD range engines with single-level control and an electronic engine manage- ment system. The CD-300 features common rail technology, direct injection, turbocharging, liquid cooling, and an advanced reduction gear system. Just like the smaller CD-100 engine, the new CD-300 is based on a proven German automotive-based core (Mercedes) adapted for aviation use. Continental's reach in the diesel market expanded quickly after it acquired the Germany-based Thielert a year ago, giving it a certifi ed line with the Centurion series. The new engine is an extension of that expertise, designed by the team in Germany. Engines at Oshkosh 2014 BY MARINO BORIC The six-cylinder diesel Continental CD-300 engine. Photography by Marino Boric

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