Engines

At the Electric Aircraft Symposium in Santa Rosa, California, on Saturday, I scribbled in my notebook a wry comment from Tine Tomazic of Pipistrel Aircraft, the innovative Slovenian company that’s an unabashed supporter—and maker—of electric airplanes. Tomazic said he hoped the era of electric conversions was coming to an end and he pointedly noted that […]

With few moving parts compared to an aircraft piston engine, electric motors are thought to be far more reliable. But when the systems that control them are factored in, the reliability picture is far less rosy, according to Mike Ricci, who says electric propulsion in general has some distance to cover before it will be […]

Fresh after its announcement of a new, aviation-specific electric motor, Siemens AG has mapped out a developmental path that it hopes will result in practical regional hybrid electric airliners by 2035. At the ninth annual Electric Aircraft Symposium in Santa Rosa, California, this week, Siemens’ Frank Anton said the company will invest heavily in hybrid […]

When Superior Air Parts told us that it was announcing a new engine product for Sun ‘n Fun, I figured it would be one of two things: another gasoline variant in the experimental or certified line or a resurrection of the three-cylinder diesel that Tim Archer was involved with back in 2008. He had left […]

At Sun ‘n Fun 2015, Superior Air Parts introduced a new engine, a unique two-cycle diesel similar to the Jumo of World War II fame. AVweb shot a technical tour of the engine hosted by Scott Hayes. view on YouTube

Turbocharging systems get somewhat of bad, but to a degree, deserved rap for requiring more than their fair share of maintenance and pilot workload. They certainly have to deal with more than their fair share of very hot air and have to spin at dazzling rpms to do their jobs. Moreover, they can be less […]

I’ve been covering and writing about businesses of various kinds for a long time and I’m trying to recall if executives always coveted buzz phrases they way they do now. Probably they have, but I just found it less obnoxious when I was younger. (Now, everything is obnoxious. Didn’t I warn you about being on […]

During its 85 years of building aircraft engines, Lycoming has seen vast changes in the market. Today, it has to survive building a fraction of the engines it once produced. In this video, AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli gives a detailed video tour of the plant and explains how the company has reinvented itself with modernization. view […]

I was at Lycoming for three days last week, shooting a video on how the company has invested in new CNC equipment to improve its competitive edge on parts and engines. While I was waiting in the security office to have my visitor badge arranged, I did a quick scan of my e-mail. Coincidentally, there […]

For almost 10 years, Africair has been converting Cessna Skyhawks to diesel power and shipping them to the African market for training. In this video, AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli has a look at these conversions and takes a brief flight trial. view on YouTube