The Evolution of Continental’s Big Bore Engines When the postwar general aviation boom of the 1950s and 1960s created a demand for faster, heavier, and more capable aircraft, Continental Motors responded with a new generation of six-cylinder, fuel-injected engines. These powerplants—today grouped under the nickname “big bore” Continentals—have since become some of the most important piston engines in high-performance general aviation. TCM TSIO-520 From the IO-470 to the IO-520 The story begins with the IO-470, introduced in the late 1950s. At 471 cubic inches of displacement and about 250 horsepower, it was essentially the “bridge” between Continental’s smaller…
Author: Alexis von Croy
Alexis von Croy
1995-2002 Editor at fliegermagazin, 2004-2008 Editor in Chief of Airbus Magazine "Planet Aerospace". Since 2002 Book Author and free lance aviation journalist and photographer. Private Pilot with IFR rating. Other ratings: CRI, Aerobatic, MEP (expired).
In general the TCM IO-550N is a smooth and reliable engine. The IO-550N is part of the same engine family tree that starts with the O-470 series. Here’s the lineage: O-470 (1940s) Six-cylinder, air-cooled, horizontally opposed piston engine. Around 470 cubic inches displacement. Found in early Cessna 180/182/185 and Beechcraft Bonanza models. Set the basic crankcase, cylinder layout, and architecture for later engines. IO-520 (mid-1960s) “I” for fuel-injected, “O” for opposed. Based heavily on the O-470 design but bored/stroked to 520 cu in. Beefed-up crankcase, improved cooling, higher compression options. Widely used in Bonanzas, Barons, and Cessna 210s. IO-550 (late-1980s)…
This article is mostly about older G2 and G3 models. Some aspects apply to all generations. Many pilots who are first time Cirrus buyers have little or no experience with the type. The airplane is not overly complicated and the available documentation is extensive and good. If you are a serious buyer then the best advice I have for you is: Join COPA! For a yearly membership fee you not only get a monthly magazine – you have access to an enormous knowledge base that covers every aspect of Cirrus flying – and owning. For a start here’s a ten…
It took me a long time to translate the book to English – and a lot of proofreading was necessary until were (hopefully!) on the same level as the German edition. The English book contains the same 14 stories as the original German book (plus an appendix about the history of aviation) You can read a sample on amazon.com https://a.co/d/0i2mcXt Content Foreword 1903 Orville and Wilbur Wright On the dunes of Kitty Hawk, humanity learns to fly 1919 John Alcock and Arthur Whitten-Brown Conquerors of the North Atlantic 1927 Charles Lindbergh Solo to Paris 1937 The Mystery of the…
https://youtu.be/NUjuv_ErNgY?si=co8zwJMLV2zURW8x I made this video for two reasons: I wanted to show the capabilities of “smartCHECK”, the talking checklist app, and I also wanted to learn how to better edit videos. This is the setup I used: My DJI MAVIC drone for the hangar video. I took off and “parked” it in the corner of the hangar in about 10 feet above the ground and started the recording. The rear camera in the cabin is a GARMIN VIRB ULTRA 30. It is mounted to the cabin ceiling. The great thing about the VIRB ULTRA 30 is that you can connect…
Prag ist immer eine Reise wert, und aus Deutschland ist es ein ideales GA-Ziel. Flugzeit mit der Cirrus aus der Nähe von München: eine Stunde! VFR kann man alle drei in Frage kommenden Flugplätze/Flughäfen anfliegen (Ruzyne, Vodochody und Letnany), allerdings bietet sich hier Letnany mit seiner Nähe zur Stadt, dem U-Bahn-Anschluß und den moderaten Gebühren an. IFR fliegt man am besten nach Vodochody, nördlich der Stadt, der Platz ist allerdings am Wochenende geschlossen. Der internationale Flughafen Ruzyne ist aber für die GA ebenso gut geeignet wie Vodochody, wenn natürlich auch etwas teurer. Um LKPR VFR oder IFR anzufliegen schickt man…
https://www.youtube.com/live/MT-wCVfkgb8?si=zTRMOgViSg5yZ9vb In January 2024 Cirrus Aircraft presented the new G7 version of their SR-series of Airplanes (SR20, SR22 and SR22T). All SRs delivered in 2024 will be G7s. The most important changes: New Avionics Suite (“Perspective Touch”) based on Garmin’s G3000, very similar to Cirrus SF50 Jet (no auto throttle or FADEC though) Automatic Fuel Tank Switching (every 5 gallons, manual mode is also possible) New design of interior with lower dashboard, new door panels, seats, lighted USB-C ports and … (of course :-)) cup holders Push Button Start instead of key New Lithium Battery 1 (20 lbs. lighter) What…
I bought my SR22-G2 GTS in the June of 2013. By that time the airplane was almost 7 years old and in pretty good condition. Over the years I have improved many technical aspects of the plane, including a complete set of new avionics, a new interior, Beringer brakes, the 4-blade prop. But I was never completely happy with the exterior. First of all i did not care much about the 2006 graphics. I always thought the “SR22 GTS” logo on the tail was ugly. Over the years I improved many of the little graphical details: Is started with removing…
A great video by Mike Busch from SAVVY, explaining the art of cylinder break-in. https://youtu.be/pTuFdix8lMY
Here’s a small selection of documents you can download/copy and add to your smartCHECK checklist apps. These documents are for my 2006 SR22-G2 with Air Condition so might want to edit the Circuit Breaker Panel if you don’t have A/C Circuit Breaker Panel Stall Speeds Max Power Fuel Flow Approach Briefing (click link for download) Approach Briefing Holding Procedures (click link for download) Holding_Entries Autopilot Text Procedure (click link for download) AP Test Takeoff Performance 2900 lb (click link to download) Takeoff Light Takeoff Performance 3400 lb (click link for download) Takeoff Heavy …