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Keven / diesels
Keven
For lower altitudes diesels can work, however, there are drawbacks to every technology. IE increased weight of fuel, engines, etc.
Gas engines for hp/weigh ratio are still good choices. If you are looking ahead to above 10k ft then turbines, turboprops are the answer if technology like Williamson can get the cost down. Machine and rare metals keep the price up.
If fadec modernized the current "flat engine technology" with improved fuel consumption, less engine management, etc. There is no reason you could not increase TBO and improve emissions along with greater reliability.
This is probably the closest technology we have today without forking out the cost of a house or two.
I spent time with the engineers at TCM discussing FADEC after you left and I feel they are close to having a reliable product. What is killing progress are ______ and until there are some limits imposed the manufacturers do not want to venture into "gray areas" that leave them open to increased liability.
In the meantime we have no choice but to work with what we have. I offered TCM to do an STC on the TSIO360 (my aircraft) and they said they were close to doing it. They have been driving a turbo 360 for almost a 1k hours with great success.
The Germans had perfected aircraft diesel engines but abandoned the technology in the late 49's for multiple reasons.
fyi
bob
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