Wed, Aug 13, 2008
There have been some big changes at Teledyne Continental Motors
over the last year... with the retirement of long-time boss Bryan
Lewis, a man with a new vision has taken the reins of one of GA's
leading powerplant manufacturers with an eye toward keeping TCM at
the forefront of GA tech. In addition to that, TCM's investment in
FADEC is paying off as over 100 FADEC equipped Continental engines
are now flying the skies, and Cessna has chosen a redesigned
Continental O-200D (shown below) to power the SkyCatcher
LSA.
That man is Rhett Ross, and as the new CEO for TCM, he has an
opportunity to push this company and our industry into even more
powerful directions and technologies. In the first exclusive
interview with the new CEO of Teledyne Continental, ANN found that
Rhett Ross found that he seemed to have a good handle on what TCM's
next steps must be in order to maintain industry dominance.
ANN also noted that as one of the most progressive piston engine
manufacturers in the world, TCM realizes that the days of the
conventional piston engine are numbered. Ross and TCM have made a
strong commitment to FADEC controlled engines (which will allow for
some significant latitude in the types of avgas-like fuels we
burn), as well as indicating a strong commitment to alternative
fueled engines.
It is this kind of activity and this kind of commitment on the
part of a major powerplant manufacturer that makes the future of
alternatively fueled powerplants a bright one... a damned bright
one. Aviation can only benefit as a result of the use of new
technologies. Further; aviation has much to gain by having a choice
of new and hopefully less expensive (but certainly more available)
fuels -- and let's face it, aviation has been held hostage to 50
year old engine technology for 49.9 years too long.
ANN's Jim Campbell dragged the Aero-TV team to coastal Mobile,
AL, to see the latest and greatest in TCM's world -- and to get a
feel for how Ross's plans seem to be going.
More News
Airport Rotating Beacon A visual NAVAID operated at many airports. At civil airports, alternating white and green flashes indicate the location of the airport. At military airports>[...]
Aero Linx: Fly for the Culture Fly For the Culture, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves young people interested in pursuing professions in the aviation industry>[...]
Klyde Is Having Some Issues Comprehending The Fed's Priorities FMI: www.klydemorris.com>[...]
Also: Viasat-uAvionix, UL94 Fuel Investigation, AF Materiel Command, NTSB Safety Alert Norges Luftsportforbund chose Aura Aero's little 2-seater in electric trim for their next gli>[...]
Also: EP Systems' Battery, Boeing SAF, Repeat TBM 960 Order, Japan Coast Guard H225 Buy Despite nearly 100 complaints totaling millions of dollars of potential fraud, combined with>[...]