More performance?

[Antoine]

Antoine,
You could also change your temp probe, remove the venturi vacuum backup and the second alternator on your aircraft.
For the cowling I have a suggestion (see pictures from contrailsfree.fr)

lol Jean I know these pics. Especially like the airflow alternator one! as to the cowling, is this a Da40 Ng?

[Antoine]

folks I have great news! Read this. Now we need to find a way. Who's interested?

Antoine,
 
Thank you for the e-mail.  Currently Lycoming is not pursuing the 390 STC for the DA40 but I am willing to work with you on developing an STC for the DA40. 
 
Jeff Schans
Thunderbolt, Echelon & STC Mgr
Lycoming Engines, a div. of Avco Corporation
Office: +1(570) 327-7224
Fax :   +1(570) 327-7066

NOTICE: This E-mail (including attachments) is covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 2510-2521, is confidential and may be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any retention, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. Please reply to the sender that you have received the message in error, and then delete it. Thank you.
 
 
 
From: Antoine Eddé [mailto:ant1ant1@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 12:47 PM
To: Cebulka, Marolous
Subject: Echelon IO390 for DA40
 
Dear Sir
 
I am writing to you to inquire whether your company intends to develop a firewall forward solution for installing the IO390 engine in Diamond DA40 aircraft.

[Tommy]

Wow!!! You've got my ear.
Tell me more.

[Antoine]

I have recently read that Lyco had obtained an STC to fit the IO390 engine to the C172rg. Wrote them a lengthy email presenting the case. see full text below. And I got this response!

We need to:

Check who would be seriously interested in pre-ordering an upgrade ( commit downpayments to a Lyco Echelon project) and find a cobaye in the US ( I am in Europe).

The benefits are:

30 HP more means about 600 fpm more and 7 knots faster.
Engine slightly heavier ( a few pounds) helps with aft CG.
Opportunity to redesign the cowling for reduced cooling drag, thats another 3 knots I guess.
The increased power would allow us to combine with the MTOW increase that is now available to DA40tdi owners upgrading to Austro.

my inquiry:
-------------------------------
I am writing to you to inquire whether your company intends to develop a firewall forward solution for installing the IO390 engine in Diamond DA40 aircraft.
(not sure if you are the contact for this, kindly forward and let me know if not).
 
I think this idea would make business sense for the following reasons:
 
- There are now more than 1'000 DA40's with Lyoming engines delivered.
- A rapidly  increasing number of DA40s are about to reach engine TBO as can be seen in the used marketplace.
- Most private DA40 owners are looking for ways to get more performance.
 
Furthermore, there have been recently some favorable technical developments which show that the airframe has considerable untapped  "usability" potential: 
With the introduction of the DA40 NG which has a heavier engine, Diamond have once again increased the MTOW of the aircraft, without structural reinforcement apart from the landing gear.
Diamond offers an upgrade fir existing airframes to this engine, with the full MTOW.
 
Being able to apply this MTOW increase to the DA40-180 range would turn this "3 person cruiser" into a "full fuel and, 4 pax and luggage" long range plane. That would justify putting some money behind an engine upgrade that would provide the additional climb power.
 
I am also quite convinced that if the STC were available, Diamond would jump on the opportunity to extend their top of the range for a modest engineering effort.
This improved DA40 would definitely help them gain market share against the (Continental equipped) Cirrus SR20.
 
I am in touch with quite a few fellow owners and confident that we could make a plane available as a development bed, if Lycoming were interested.
 
I look forward to hearing from you

[Gary]

This would be a great option when the engine reaches TBO.

[Jean]

Antoine,
It sure would be nice to have 30 extra HP on the DA40.
I sure would appreciate weight increase to 1280 kg, long range tanks, PF, new propeller, GFC700, IO 390, etc.
Retrofitting is very costly. As far as I am concerned, my 2004 G1000 DA40, 680 HTTSN, fits my mission.
If I wanted all of that, I'd probably look for another aircraft...maybe a 2014 DA40

[Antoine]

oh come on Jean, i ll give you air conditioning fo free!

seriously. isn t there a market for used IO 360s? mine has 300 hours or so, but if can get a decent price for it I would probably upgrade.

[Jean]

Let's say that if you offer TKS instead of air conditioning I would be interested
In Belgium, icing is a bigger issue than power.
By the way,this is maybe a stupid idea, but one of my friend flies a C177 RG powered by a 200HP IO360. Why couldn't our IO360 also be rated at 200 HP ?

[Antoine]

good question... there are two families of the io360, one with paralle valve placement and one with V placing. also the 200 HP has higher compression.
Ours can reach 200 HP if Powerflowed!

[Gary]

good question... there are two families of the io360, one with paralle valve placement and one with V placing. also the 200 HP has higher compression.
Ours can reach 200 HP if Powerflowed!

I believe that the Powerflow exhaust is worth a few horsepower but it will not give more than the rated horsepower. The 180 HP rating is based on a run on a test stand with a short exhaust pipe. The actual exhaust robs the engine of power and the Powerflow wastes less. I still think it is a reasonable investment as I converted my old exhaust to Powerflow and feel it was worth it.