New Beechcraft hints at reengined Bonanza, Baron for jet fuel

Challenged

Challenged

Pattern Altitude
Joined
Apr 4, 2011
Messages
1,901
Location
Louisiana
Display Name
Display name:
Challenged
"Vick also said that all of its product line would be ready for “alternative fuels,” including the piston-powered Baron and Bonanza. He later re-iterated that the airplanes would be jet- or diesel-fueled in order to take advantage of availability of those fuels worldwide. Best news for those owning such legacy airplanes, Vick said whatever engine technology is used will be retrofittable to the existing fleet."

http://www.aopa.org/nbaa/2012/121031new-beechcraft-hints-at-reengined-bonanza.html
 
Does that mean turbine or diesel?
 
O & N also announced their Allison turbine Cessna 340 has finally been awarded an STC after 5-6 years of work and snags.
 
Time to dust off this one?

be_38p.jpg


... Or maybe this one?

be73-1c.jpg


:D
 
Once the diesels (which it seems Continental is working on) hit market and prove reliable, I suspect STCs will pop up for legacy aircraft fairly quickly. The Thielerts were such garbage so quickly they didn't make it that far.

I figure we're looking at around ADS-B intro for these to start getting propagated.
 
PLEASE let there be a diesel TIO-540 replacement.
 
Beechcraft also announced they aren't going to honor any of the warranties (including extended maintenance programs people paid extra for) on certain jet lines they are dropping support for. I would be hesitant to buy anything from a company that treats its customers like that.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
 
n12365 said:
Beechcraft also announced they aren't going to honor any of the warranties (including extended maintenance programs people paid extra for) on certain jet lines they are dropping support for.
Click to expand...

Where did you read that?
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Once the diesels (which it seems Continental is working on) hit market and prove reliable, I suspect STCs will pop up for legacy aircraft fairly quickly.
Click to expand...

I wonder if these STC's will be for all-new engines, or a modification of existing gasoline powerplants.
 
NoHeat said:
I wonder if these STC's will be for all-new engines, or a modification of existing gasoline powerplants.
Click to expand...

Modifying a current aircraft engine to run on Jet-A will not end well. Jet-A doesn't lend itself well to spark ignition (and doesn't work great in compression ignition, but does work). The rotating assembly of a 540 or 550 (or any aircraft engine) subject to loads from compression ignition would result in a lot of broke cranks, rods, pistons, and jettisoned cylinders.
 
My Navion engine came out of a spanking new A36 (9 hours time in service) when they put the turbine in at Tradewinds.
 
n12365 said:
Beechcraft also announced they aren't going to honor any of the warranties (including extended maintenance programs people paid extra for) on certain jet lines they are dropping support for. I would be hesitant to buy anything from a company that treats its customers like that.
Click to expand...

No kidding. Read this article about what's been going on behind the scenes:

http://www.jetwhine.com/2012/11/the-slow-death-of-a-brand/

Will Beech owners end up in the same situation as Mooney owners? Limited factory support, no production, a company bankrupt?
 
TangoWhiskey said:
No kidding. Read this article about what's been going on behind the scenes:

http://www.jetwhine.com/2012/11/the-slow-death-of-a-brand/

Will Beech owners end up in the same situation as Mooney owners? Limited factory support, no production, a company bankrupt?
Click to expand...


This speaks to corporate culture across America.

A company with managers who care more about themselves than about their employees or their customers is already dying on the inside.
Click to expand...
 
TangoWhiskey said:
No kidding. Read this article about what's been going on behind the scenes:

http://www.jetwhine.com/2012/11/the-slow-death-of-a-brand/

Will Beech owners end up in the same situation as Mooney owners? Limited factory support, no production, a company bankrupt?
Click to expand...

I find it interesting that the entire article is about executive greed, but the title is "Death of a Brand". Screw the brand, the execs are eating the COMPANY.

It's like the author of the article started by wanting to write something about branding, and then just shoved a story about execs bonuses into the middle, like a little screwed up topic sandwich.

Agreed that this is oh-so-common "Corporate culture", also... if you can call disgusting people "cultured".

See, when your company goes bankrupt in normal sized companies, there's this little thing that happens... you don't get BONUSES, folks. In fact, if the company is small enough, you don't even get PAID.

How screwed up is it that they can stand in front of a bankruptcy-car-wash "judge" and argue for BONUSES in the first place?
 
denverpilot said:
I find it interesting that the entire article is about executive greed, but the title is "Death of a Brand". Screw the brand, the execs are eating the COMPANY.

It's like the author of the article started by wanting to write something about branding, and then just shoved a story about execs bonuses into the middle, like a little screwed up topic sandwich.

Agreed that this is oh-so-common "Corporate culture", also... if you can call disgusting people "cultured".

See, when your company goes bankrupt in normal sized companies, there's this little thing that happens... you don't get BONUSES, folks. In fact, if the company is small enough, you don't even get PAID.

How screwed up is it that they can stand in front of a bankruptcy-car-wash "judge" and argue for BONUSES in the first place?
Click to expand...

Shoot, look how much TARP money turned to bonuses.
 
denverpilot said:
I find it interesting that the entire article is about executive greed, but the title is "Death of a Brand". Screw the brand, the execs are eating the COMPANY.

It's like the author of the article started by wanting to write something about branding, and then just shoved a story about execs bonuses into the middle, like a little screwed up topic sandwich.

Agreed that this is oh-so-common "Corporate culture", also... if you can call disgusting people "cultured".

See, when your company goes bankrupt in normal sized companies, there's this little thing that happens... you don't get BONUSES, folks. In fact, if the company is small enough, you don't even get PAID.

How screwed up is it that they can stand in front of a bankruptcy-car-wash "judge" and argue for BONUSES in the first place?
Click to expand...

Their behavior has resulted in the death of the brand... Canceling support on prepaid service contracts? That is but one example that has killed the reputation (brand) so carefully built over decades.

Why is the Board not kicking these execs out and replacing them?
 
TangoWhiskey said:
Their behavior has resulted in the death of the brand... Canceling support on prepaid service contracts? That is but one example that has killed the reputation (brand) so carefully built over decades.

Why is the Board not kicking these execs out and replacing them?
Click to expand...


With whom? This is SOP in corporate culture. This is how they are taught to deal with it at MBA school. This is at the core of capitalism.
 
Henning said:
With whom? This is SOP in corporate culture. This is how they are taught to deal with it at MBA school. This is at the core of capitalism.
Click to expand...

Core of MBA school, anyway... capitalism done right, isn't necessarily what they teach at the school. There's a human part to it that's been lost.
 
denverpilot said:
Core of MBA school, anyway... capitalism done right, isn't necessarily what they teach at the school. There's a human part to it that's been lost.
Click to expand...


The truth is any of the popular systems could work perfectly fine if people didn't try to cheat. It's corruption and greed, the darker part of human nature that controls our economy and society.
 
Henning said:
The truth is any of the popular systems could work perfectly fine if people didn't try to cheat. It's corruption and greed, the darker part of human nature that controls our economy and society.
Click to expand...

Well, it usually requires more than one person. One cheater stopped by a crowd, no problem. A Board and execs all in bed with each other with enough money to buy lots of lawyers? Watch out if you're not one of them.

The whole concept of "cheat" is a learned thing... morals taught in childhood. Those without that background or who have mild cases of Asperger's Syndrome are often the most "successful" in American business these days, if you look carefully at their backgrounds.

Those who made their fortunes (relatively) legitimately, get quite angry at those kinds of statements, but often fail to see how messed up their peers really are.
 
denverpilot said:
See, when your company goes bankrupt in normal sized companies, there's this little thing that happens... you don't get BONUSES, folks. In fact, if the company is small enough, you don't even get PAID.

How screwed up is it that they can stand in front of a bankruptcy-car-wash "judge" and argue for BONUSES in the first place?
Click to expand...
There is a place in bankruptcy for bonuses, but it's not among the brass. The place to apply bonus money is as a way to keep the best and brightest middle/high managers from flying the coop during the reorganization. They are the most employable (read: the most likely to go find another good position quickly), and the ones worth keeping have the institutional knowledge needed to right the ship.

That said, the concept has indeed been corrupted time and time again to line the pockets of the folks that put the company into trouble in the first place.
 
It was never there. Never has been, never will be. Circumstances made it appear to be a constant when in fact it was only a short term illusion.

Nothing darker or eviler about any of it, just business as usual. And BTW, those nice little Asian folks we're competing against are all sweet as pie.

denverpilot said:
Core of MBA school, anyway... capitalism done right, isn't necessarily what they teach at the school. There's a human part to it that's been lost.
Click to expand...
 
wabower said:
It was never there. Never has been, never will be. Circumstances made it appear to be a constant when in fact it was only a short term illusion.

Nothing darker or eviler about any of it, just business as usual. And BTW, those nice little Asian folks we're competing against are all sweet as pie.
Click to expand...

Probably true, I was just trying to be a kinder gentler skeptic. :)

Never works out to do that, I've noticed. :)
 
FWIW, I'd like it better the other way too. Having traveled extensively when a first-class seat in Continental stretch 727 was as good as it got, I've never forgiven Icahn for screwing it up.

denverpilot said:
Probably true, I was just trying to be a kinder gentler skeptic. :)

Never works out to do that, I've noticed. :)
Click to expand...
 
I would love for there to be a FADEC turbodiesel replacement for the IO-360.
 
Henning said:
??? There has been for over a decade, the SMA 230 now being produced by Continental, though not positive on FADEC.
Click to expand...

As I understood it, the SMA diesel had electronic controls, but also a fully mechanical backup in case of an electrical failure.

Despite being fully mechanical, the engine had single lever control, per my understanding. Started like any other mechanical diesel (let glow plugs warm up, turn key, engine runs), and the prop governor was just wired at 2200 RPM, which the SMA folks told me was where it ran the whole time.

I find when people say "FADEC" what they really mean is "easy starting and single lever control." So from that perspective, the SMA diesel fit the bill.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top