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In the context of my comment about the potential for advanced ceramics to enable the production of practical small turboshaft engines, your response didn't make sense to me--especially as you'd previously mentioned small and microturbine engines in post #45. But now I understand what you meant...

It would be interesting to dig into the design and operational data of the P&W JT3C and JT3D, and the GE CJ610 and CF700 engines. Those four engines represent the evolutionary leap from straight turbojet to turbofan. While I would not attribute the range of the MAX9 entirely to engine...

Bell206, thanks for indulging me. I'd buy the next round, if we happened to be co-located. If I understood you correctly, when you said that a turbofan increased power without increasing fuel flow, you meant that the mechanism for achieving this power increase is the fan stage bolted (so to...

I'd be interested in learning more about this. How does a turbofan engine increase power without increasing fuel flow?

Ah, see there? Like I said, I'm the idiot, holding your beer. The decimal error was my own, and led me to recheck my earlier figure for the GE90-115. I tried a few different cruise scenarios and came up with (approximate) 0.125 to 0.181. But as you can see, my calculations are suspect.

Yes, the C250 is no gold medalist in terms of fuel efficiency, compared to piston engines. Per your previous post, maybe we can discuss the fluid dynamics of impellers and actuator disks later, depending on Bell206's contribution. But for now, I would like to offer an alternative viewpoint of...

Actually, that’s your interpretation of what I said. It's not worth revisiting. So, you’re saying that any potential replacement engine must have established a 70-year service history before it can be considered as a candidate. If that’s the rule, the game is rigged and the dinosaurs win by...

Dan Thomas, you disagreed with my characterization of GA engines as being like dinosaurs and took it upon yourself to re-educate me. You took the time to cite magnetos (a 19th Century device) and carburetor ice (the MA-3 and MA-4 are essentially a 1920s tractor carburetor with an adjustable...

Well, I did admit that it was my mistake. That's like saying that we shouldn't invest in cancer treatment because heart disease kills more people. You're both just being argumentative, but this is an internet forum so... Seems we are all in agreement here, at least.

You got me there, Bell206—I have absolutely no proof that GA engines are, factually, dinosaurs. Dinosaurs, as you know, were reptilian animals that roamed the planet a couple-hundred million years ago, give or take few million. I chose to characterize GA engines as dinosaurs, not define them...

Your summary is a misrepresentation. ... Dan Thomas, I began addressing your post on a point-by-point basis, but abandoned the effort as an exercise in futility. As I pointed-out (pun intended) in a previous post (alliteration unintended), your arguments seem to boil down to a variation of...

My mistake: when you wrote... ...I understood you to mean that there are too many. That they are unfortunate goes without saying. Very well--we will disagree. I think having engines that are more reliable, efficient, and easier to maintain and operate, is a fantastic use of resources...

We agree--there are too many accidents (not incidents, accidents). As stated in the post above, by producing engines that are more robust with components less likely to fail, that require less maintenance, and that are simpler to operate. Oh if only a finger-snap could do it... Clearly a...

Dan Thomas, your argument seems to suggest a distant kinship with both Ned Ludd and Joe Stalin. Statistics: If we had well-researched data based on investigatory findings that accurately pinpointed the causal factors for each and every engine failure event, we might be able to make some...

Jim_R asked for data to back-up my argument, and then went on to provide it for me. The fact that 77 powerplant-related accidents occurred in a single year is more than sufficient supporting data. 77 accidents (10 with fatalities) is WAY too many. But that’s just the data for a single year, a...

Jim_R and Dan Thomas, Thank you both for taking the time to illustrate some of my points.

Problem is, many engine failures occur through no fault of the pilot or AMT. Failed valves, thrown rods, snapped crankshafts and camshafts, cylinder barrel/head separations... those are failures that just shouldn't occur. Some problems might have been detected prior to failure, but many were...

There are a plethora of ICE designs that offer certain advantages compared to the ancient relics that we’re still hanging on the front of new airplanes. It is unlikely that we will ever see any of them on a certificated airframe, for the following reasons: 1). They’re ICEs; 2). Development and...

Daven, the concept, as I understand it, doesn't appeal that much to me, but it might appeal to a different audience--one that hasn't spent 43 years in aviation. I do appreciate your commitment to focus the cameras on the beauty and magic of flying, and not create more boring, narcissistic...

This thread inspired me to try some different blades, after having used Feather blades for several years. I ordered some Kai and Bic blades and have been using them for a few weeks now. Both are very good. I still find that the Feather blades cut better, but the difference is barely...