OSHKOSH — Teledyne Continental Motors, Inc. (TCM) flew its factory turbocharged SR22 to Oshkosh fueled on UL94 unleaded aviation fuel.
With the ASTM actively working on the certification of UL94, TCM has shifted from testing the fuel to preparing its engines for its eventual introduction, according to company officials.
The unleaded avgas fueled flight to 2009 AirVenture, flown by TCM President Rhett Ross and company pilot and engineer Keith Chatten, was the third extended flight for the standard production engine, which has now accumulated 20 hours on unleaded fuels. The flight followed an initial test flight of 802 miles roundtrip from TCM’s base in Mobile, Ala., to Oshkosh, Wis., conducted in two uninterrupted legs.
“Today’s flight demonstrated that our standard factory turbo is ready for future fuels and has the fuel economy necessary to benefit our customers,” said Ross. “With successful flights of both turbocharged and normally aspirated engines on unleaded fuels, we feel comfortable that TCM has solutions for the future and are now working to have them ready.”
In March 2009, TCM took the lead in the search for a 100LL alternative when it began flight tests in a Hawker Beechcraft G36, company officials noted. These tests were followed in April 2009 by the first flight of a production certificated airplane on another promising 100LL alternative — Swift Fuel. The flight was again performed in a Hawker Beechcraft G36 and tested aircraft engine performance through the full flight envelope.
For more information: GenuineContinental.aero.
