Surefly Electronic Ignition For Lycoming Engines

By Tom Woodward

Brought to you by those electronic wizards working from Granbury, Texas, the birthplace of Skytec starters, comes SureFly electronic ignition and iStart.

Surefly is the newest electronic ignition currently available for experimental aircraft and will be available for certified aircraft sometime next year. Models are available for the four and six cylinder Lycoming and Continental engines both in non-impulse and impulse coupled versions.

The SIM4N is a non-impulse coupled electronic ignition, which similar to its bigger brother the SIM6L (Lycoming) and the Sim6C (Continental), require less maintenance than your normal Slick or Bendix magnetos. In fact SureFly ‘s General Manager Jason Hutchinson says, “TBO on our ignition systems have a 2000 hour limit. Compare that to your normal 500 hour inspection for other magnetos”. With SureFly you can use your existing plug, drive gear and existing Slick harnesses. It installs like a mag with a one-wire hook-up and it weighs less than a Slick or a Bendix magneto. SureFly is timed just like a magneto after which there’s no additional maintenance for the next 2000 hours.

FAA certification is due sometime in 2017 but they have been running a prototype in several airplanes for quite a while. Unlike regular magnetos, which when flying at higher altitudes need to be pressurized, the SureFly will operate up to a least 18,000 feet without issues. In fact SureFly’s General Manager Jason Hutchinson says he has tested the SureFly up to a pressure altitude of 80,000 feet with no discernable issues. Current prices for the four cylinder SIM4N and the SIM4P run $1250 and the Six Cylinder SIM6C and SIM6L are $1550.

In the same booth adjacent to SureFly is iStart. Do you ever have trouble starting your big bore fuel injected Lycoming or Continental especially when it’s hot? Sometimes the book procedure works and sometimes it becomes a three-handed goat rope working the throttle, mixture and starter switch all at the same time. Flood the engine and it might be a thirty minute wait in the FBO until you can try again. iStart solves this problem. iStart provides simple detailed instruction for installing the unit which includes an intelligent start controller and indicator and an electronic fuel injector. Leave the mixture full lean, crack the throttle and turn the starter switch. The unit injects metered fuel for the current conditions and the engine starts just as easy as your Toyota family car. Ease the mixture in and the controller senses a change in the engine and takes the iStart off line automatically. On May 16, 2016 iStart received STC #SA09857AC and is now in the process of adding multiple aircraft to the approved model list.

The iStart starts your engine hot, cold, every time. No “technique” is required. Saves time, saves batteries, save frustration and saves your feet because you can find these innovations at the same booth in building ‘A’ next to the Skytec starter booth.

(Images provided)

FMI: www.surefly.aero, www.istartair.com