How many of you fly?

[pelon]

A thread below made me think ... wondering how many of ya'll fly as pilots?

I manage a small airport (E80) and think the idea of a diesel in an airplane would be interesting. It will happen soon.

I ended up driving my SD to work today for just a few minutes and told one guy "this is the engine you should use, but it's too heavy". He said the engine in his turbo 210 weighs over 600 pounds.

What does a 617 weigh?

Anyweigh, if you fly small planes, stop in someday and look me up.

Roberto

[Skippy]

I recall reading that a 617 weighs around 450 lbs, so even with some minor mods, you're still looking at 3 lbs/hp. I'm pretty sure this is impractical for aviation use.

I don't fly, but I was lucky enough to get a little stick time in a T-34 Mentor some years ago. The pilot showed me how to do an aileron roll, and then he let me do one. It was pretty fun. That same month, I got even less stick time in an SH-60. The pilot took us up and had me try to hover. Not anywhere near as easy as it looks. I had aspirations of becoming a Cobra pilot in the Marines, but stuff happened and I ended up elsewhere doing other things.

If I had money to burn, I'd probably get my private pilot license, but at the moment, I don't have money to burn.

[t walgamuth]

I would estimate a 617 turbo will go well over 500#. I bet a 240 na will go 450#.

IIRC the Zeppelins of the thirties had large displacement aluminum diesels powering their props.

[Styler_Colfax]

I flew a little years ago before AV fuel killed the cost savings. Good friend had a low wing Cherokee 140. I have a few hours but when he sold the plane I could not afford to keep getting hours with the cost of plane rent,fuel,and teacher. It's about 7 to 8 grand to get a private pilot in anything other than a C 150

Coolest plane I ever saw was a LS7 (GM Alum. V8)powered 7/8 scale P51 Mustang. Looked the part and had modern instruments. I think it was 450 HP. It was a "kit" ,started at 79K....but way cheaper than a real P51.

[pelon]

"IIRC the Zeppelins of the thirties had large displacement aluminum diesels powering their props."

Wow, that sounds interesting.. wonder who made them? I'll have to search on that on.

I guess your near Purdue where "they" are researching an unleaded fuel for avgas.

[ashedd]

Do a google search. "They" have a mercedes based diesel aviation powerplant. All I remember is FADEC controls.

I love PA-28-140's. You can get them pretty cheap. Fuel prices will kill general aviation. Enjoy it while you can.

[KarTek]

I'm a 14 hour fixed, 14 hour rotary student pilot out of 8NC8.

Thielert/SMA I think, makes a current generation Diesel conversion for light planes.

[vstech]

that is one sweet looker!

[t walgamuth]

I think they were built by that company that mercedes has been building cars with the name in the last ten years or so...name escapes me. Maybach!

[300D85]

~200 hrs TT sel(single engine land) fixed wing czba area

[pelon]

I guess Diamond was using a Thielert until Thielert went Tango Uniform.

Not sure what Cessna is using in their prototypes.Probably a Chinese diesel?

Anyway, I admire a company for investing and going though the bureaucracy of the FAA type.

When I drive my car to the airport everyone thinks I must be making "bank" ... but i tell them it's only a ol $2500 car..

r

[vstech]

I get that on a lot of my jobs... until I tell them I paid NOTHING for the car, picked it up from a garage that was going to junk it... 11 years and 120,000 miles ago

[Skid Row Joe]

Driving a Mercedes-Benz of almost any year, lets anyone look like they are rich. Whether they are or not is totally unknown. Research data by Thomas J, Stanley, PhD author of 'The Millionaire Next Door' has hard evidence that suggests more often than not that they are not. The two leading car brands driven by millionaires are; Fords and Cadillacs. In that order. Certainly not a German car. For some reason Americans equate wealth with the car brand a person drives. A very unreliable indicator.

[ah-kay]

I fly all the time. The problem is that it is not me who is in the cockpit. I know Richard Brandson's Virgin Airline experimented with using biodiesel at one time on one engine to try it out. I think the problem is gelling at 30K feet.

[compress ignite]

4Cyl Turbo Diesel with the SMA engine.

3,000 Hrs.TBO

I've seen figures around $250K

STOL with Extended Range. (Somewhere around 2200 miles.)