120hp / 200hp Turboprop Engines

Hello to all EAA members. I would like to introduce you all to Turbine Aeronautics, an Australian company that is in the throes of developing a family of small uncertificated turbine engines for recreational aviation and UAV/drone applications. Our launch product will be a 120hp turboprop that will suit most aircraft currently powered by the Rotax/Jabiru and similar range of engines. The 120hp will be followed about 6 months after by a 200hp growth version of the base engine.

Please visit our site at www.turb.aero to obtain more information about our company and our products.

About us in brief:

7 years ago, I obtained the rights, molds and tooling for the Lightning Bug kit aircraft, as well as a flyable Bug (N44XM), I immediately started looking for a suitable powerplant to power a new build Bug. I couldn't find anything that would suit the Bug and settled on the venerable Rotax 912. Incorporating the Rotax involved remodelling the front of the Bug to accept the wide Rotax. Not being 100% happy with the suitability of the Rotax for the Bug, I decided to start the development of my own turboprop engine.

We all know the benefits of turbines:

1. Small size
2. High power to weight ratio
3. Excellent reliability

But the downsides:

1. High cost
2. High fuel burns

To make my engine usable and appealing, I have had to closely assess and address the downsides.

Over the last 6 years, myself and a US based engineer have developed, assembled and run a Proof of Concept engine that has now been fully analyzed and tested (see the video of it running at our website). The results achieved in testing, compared with the analytical predictions have given us confidence that with the incorporation of a number of technical features, we can address the fuel burn issue and also, have a price tag that will be acceptable to the market. It won't achieve Rotax fuel burns but it wont be too far off. Its other features should make it an excellent value proposition when compared to similar reciprocating engine offerings.

So while I developed the engine in response to a specific need for an engine for the Lightning Bug, I very quickly realized that such an engine would likely have broader appeal within the recreational aviation sector. Basically, almost anything that could use a Rotax could use our turbine. A Turbine Aeronautics team attended Oshkosh 2016 and more recently Sun'n'fun 2017 and the response from the kit/LSA manufacturers has been one of overwhelming support. Also, any individuals that we have discussed the program with have generally been extremely excited by the prospect of an affordable 120/200hp turboprop engine. This feedback has vindicated our decision to commercialize the product and aim to make it available to the general public.


Where is the program at?


Turbine Aeronautics has recently commenced the redesign program for the engine to integrate the technical initiatives required to improve fuel efficiency and enhance reliability/TBO, in order to bring the 120hp engine to the market. We have commenced a low key marketing strategy to introduce our engine to the aviation fraternity. Hence the release of our website. We have elected to initiate a fully refundable (less small escrow fees) at any time (no questions asked), escrow protected (Escrow.com) deposit program to allow folks to reserve a delivery slot for either a 120hp or a 200hp engine. These deposits are non-binding on the buyer and will only be released to the seller, once a Sales Agreement has been executed. The Sales Agreement will be provided to the buyer around 6 weeks before the delivery of the buyers engine. The buyer will still not be under any obligation to accept the Sales Agreement and may defer his delivery slot or cancel it and receive a refund of their deposit from Escrow.com. So this is a no-risk option for a potential buyer.

You may ask what the benefit for Turbine Aeronautics is in such a non-binding deposit program? In brief, it gives us an indication that there is interest in our products (this keeps our investors happy) and also gives us a preliminary indication of the extent/level of interest in our products that will help with our forward planning for the initially lean first few years.

Following Sun'n'fun, we have received our first order for a 200hp engine and have had a number of enquiries from our website. If you want to be an early delivery slot holder, orders may be made at our website (see Turbine Aeronautics Orders). Delivery slots will commence at #101 with the first 100 deliveries for each engine model being reserved for an incentive deal that will be offered to existing slot holders to move them into the first 100 delivery positions. This incentive deal will be attractive so get in early to ensure that you get priority for the incentive offering when it is released.

There is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section on our website. Please take a look at that section first before asking questions here. Please bear in mind that for commercial reasons, I may not be at liberty to discuss some of the technical or business aspects associated with our program. Please do not get upset if I politely decline to answer some questions. However, I will be as forthcoming as possible. Also, please bear in mind that I am extremely busy with the venture and do not always have time to respond quickly to requests for information through this website.

I sincerely hope that my program interests the EAA members and that ultimately, we can bring these exciting products to the market.

Dave

This was three years ago. Anything under 10 years to maturity is a good record for a turbine large engine. I had the experience of having George Zewsky of Competitive Engines at GPD/PWA and Sam Williams formerly of Chrysler and a maker of his own turbines first for cruise missiles and later for executive jets standing at my desk for a few hours. I have not seen anything about him making a turboprop.

I have seen something about "Smokey Yunick" making a turbine motorcycle, a while back. The closest I come personally was in 1965 applying for work at Airresearch on Sepulveda in Los Angeles, California. I got a tour and briefing mostly on air bearings and their use on APUs. SIGNAL later bought them out. In any case, George and Sam were arguing about how tip seals and other scale related hardware were what prevented really small gas turbines.

I by that time had a Rayjay 40 turbocharger which used plain oil lubricated bearings on a Kawasaki Z-1R TC offered by Dan Gurney and his American TurboPak. Dan lived next to Russ Schleeh for a while and I went riding with several of Dan's Indy drivers as he fielded the TurboOffy at Indy. Russ was wingman of Curtiss LeMay in 8th AF and later aide to camp at SAC. He set a record with a B-47 cross country. I was more likely helping him to push his BSA "Victor 441" out of a ravine after he tried to make it impossible to recover.

I have a copy of "JET" signed by Sir Frank Whittle here I bought from a used bookstore in Henley on Thames. I've seen the smokeless F-4 "Phantom II" combustor movie and watched all night a IR camera pointed at the nozzle exit of a J-52-P6 on a endurance run.