http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73ncmHS5924

And how about auto fuel approvals? Yes, says Ross, but not just pump gas. As does Lycoming’s Michael Kraft, Ross believes any auto fuel approved for a type certificated engine will need some kind of approval or certification standard to assure its octane and consistent composition. Ross says Continental’s view is that automotive fuels are not tightly enough controlled and on the international market—where this new engine is clearly going to be pitched—an auto fuel bought in Germany might not be the same as one sold in Brazil.

The resumption of engine shipments may not seem like news, but it is a very big step for our efforts to get our business back to where it was four years ago, said Tim Archer, president and CEO. “From a business perspective, the big picture is that we now have all of the various components and piece parts in stock to not only assemble a complete engine, but also to be able to support the needs of homebuilders and engine shops,” he added.

Superior announced that it had begun shipping quantities of its Millennium Cylinders in late February.

The majority of the parts, including the Millennium Cylinders used to build the Experimental XP-Series engines (XP-320 and XP-360), are manufactured under Superior’s Parts Manufacturing Authority (PMA) guidelines, so they are 100% FAA approved, Archer said. These are the same parts and components used in manufacturing Superior’s FAA certified 180-horsepower Vantage engine.

“Many of our customers have chosen to build their engines with the added performance of non-PMA’d components like our roller-lifters and cold-air front induction sumps,” Archer said. “Others are selecting the option of using nearly all FAA-approved parts. Either way, what XP engine owners are really getting is ‘factory-built’ performance and quality at a homebuilt price.”

The engines are approved to run on any 91 octane unleaded automotive gasoline that does not contain alcohol. “Whether it’s the flexibility of fuel types or the ability to literally custom build their engines from a list of both Experimental and FAA-approved components, what Superior’s XP Series of engines give homebuilders is the choice to create the engine they want,” Archer said. “That’s a big advantage in today’s world.”

For more information, call 800/277-5168. For answers to frequently asked questions about the XP Series engines, click here.

Belite Aircraft's patent pending fuel-sensor chip can detect liquid water in a fuel line before an engine coughs.

Belite Aircraft of Wichita, Kansas, announced the development of a 6 gram digital chip and probe combination sensor designed to detect liquid water in an aircraft fuel system.

Jim Wiebe, president and CEO of Belite Aircraft, introduced the product at Sun n Fun 2011. The circuit chip, with a tiny probe attached, is poised to revolutionize the safety factor of flight by setting off an audio or visual alarm in the cockpit if the presence of liquid water is detected in the fuel system in-line to the cylinders while the engine is operating.

“We were designing instrumentation for our product line, and I realized that there was a really weird characteristic with some of the circuitry that I was using where I could detect water in fuel in a fuel tank,” Wiebe said. “It was just an oddity until someone asked me about fuel probes, and I realized that the technology could be extremely useful.” Though the probe will not detect water dissolved in ethanol, when the water precipitates out of the ethanol as fuel temperature drops, such as when an aircraft sits out on a ramp overnight, it can easily be detected by the new electronic probe. Wiebe is also open to experimenting with the probe detecting water in diesel fuel, as well as in mogas and avgas.

“You could screw this into a fitting near the sump in a fuel tank, or redesign the fuel tank to have this sensor at the bottom of the tank, if you were an OEM,” Wiebe said. “Alternatively, it is capable of being placed into the fuel lines. Ideally we’d like to see one of our OEM partners design a system whereby the detection of water in the line triggers an auto-switching system that selects another fuel tank and warns the pilot at the same time, thereby preventing the water from ever getting to the engine and causing an engine-out situation.”

Wiebe has made provisions for the new sensor in his own instrumentation package. “There is a receptacle on the new Belite fuel-gauge system that can receive information from this probe,” he said, though he is quick to admit that testing of the probe has not yet been completed. “We expect to be able to complete the testing and research on its effectiveness, as well as have a marketable product, with competitive pricing, by the EAA AirVenture show this summer.”

The probe and its technology is currently being co-developed with several Light Sport and Experimental kit OEM partners, Wiebe said. However, Belite intends to market the probe as an aftermarket part for existing kit airplanes later this year.

Superior's parallel-valve Lycoming cylinder.

Cylinder assemblies for the Lycoming 360/540 series and Continental 520 series are now being shipped by Superior Air Parts. This marks the “next phase of product reintroduction,” according to the company.

“This is very exciting for everyone who has been involved with bringing the popular family of Millennium Cylinders back into production,” says Timothy T. Archer, CEO, Superior Air Parts. “Everywhere I’ve gone, the first question everyone has asked has been when would the Millenniums be available? Well, I can very happily say they’re available at your Superior dealer today.”

The Lycoming 360/540 and Continental 520 cylinders join other series currently in the distribution pipeline, including cylinder assemblies for the Lycoming O-235, Continental O-200 and Continental IO-550. The recent addition of the parallel-valve Lycoming cylinders will serve owners of the O/IO-360 and O/IO-540 engines. Superior’s recent reintroduction of the large-bore Continental cylinder will also serve owners of the O/IO-470 engine.

Superior's Millennium cylinder for the Continental IO-520.

“As you would expect, the process of gearing up production by our suppliers has taken longer than we hoped, but the major hurdles are behind us,” Archer said. “Right now our biggest challenge is being able to plan our production so that we can keep our dealers stocked. From what they’re telling me, the more customers hear that the Millennium’s are available, the harder they are to keep on the shelves.

“It’s a great problem to have but right now it’s a balancing act to match the economics with the production and orders to make sure we meet all the needs,” Archer added. “Our suppliers are working hard with our quality control team to get cylinders in, approved and back out to our dealers as quickly as our high standards will allow.”

Next up for the company is to restart production of whole engines, including the XP series of Experimental engines and the Vantage series of type-certificated engines for production aircraft.

For more information, visit Superior’s website or call 800/277-5168.

This new gear, which carries an FAA-PMA (parts manufacturer approval) stamp, joins the wide range of components for the 540 series. It is among the more than 70 new part numbers, and one of more than 360 components the company makes for this engine family.

For more information, visit ECI’s website.

Teledyne Continental says it’s bullish on piston-engines that burn Jet A and today in the company’s Mobile skunk works, it took the wraps off the project for a group of visiting journalists. It’s a 230-horsepower  four-cylinder, four-cycle design that’s readily scalable to a six-cylinder version with up to 350 hp, a power range that will clearly match TCM’s products on the gasoline side.

Certification of the four-banger is planned for 2011 with production slated for 2012, according to TCM’s Johnny Doo. The six-cylinder version could follow as early as 2013.

Continental hinted at a diesel project and we expected an announcement last year at EAA AirVenture. Because it didn’t happen, we assumed TCM had delayed or dropped the project, but it was in fact exploring an innovative option: Rather than developing a clean sheet engine, it bought the diesel technology from a European company that has already certified it. Continental declined to name the company, but there are only two choices and since our photos reveal an engine that looks suspiciously like the SMA SR305, we’re gonna go with that choice.

But according to Doo, this isn’t a co-branding or sales agreement, but a licensing arrangement that allows Continental to run with the project, driving the developmental line forward as it sees fit. The SR305 has proven to be a good performer and durable, but SMA hasn’t pushed aggressively to sell it to either OEMs or the aftermarket. (And after a brief flirtation with the homebuilt market, has no airframe partner among Experimentals.) TCM will presumably address that.

Doo told us TCM bought existing technology rather than clean-sheet its own design primarily to speed the time to market, which the company sees as critical. Centurion (nee Thielert), SMA and Diamond have proven the diesel market, and now Continental wants a piece of it. TCM’s version of this engine is undergoing intensive test cell trials and is flying in a Cessna 182. Doo says Continental is aiming for a price premium only slighter higher than its avgas engines. Fuel specifics are in the 0.36 SFC range, compared to 0.385 pph/hp for Continental’s very best avgas engine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_hyZBYiSvw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYm7pUR_I6A

New to the world of LSA? One of the things you’ll discover is that your engine choice makes a big difference, in terms of both weight and performance. For an overview of the three top choices in the light sport segment, Marc Cook, Editor-in-Chief of KITPLANES magazine, visits Rotax, Jabiru, and Continental on the grounds of the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida.