8/22 Student Pilot Earns Private Pilot
license in experimental Cessna
9/21 Pilot Earns Commercial pilot certificate in experimental Cessna
Congrats to Maggi O. for completing her private pilot training and FAA check ride, the first in a software controlled V8 Flex-Fuel powered Cessna 172!
Maggi scheduled her flight training after her high school classes and on weekends, and now will start her instrument training towards goal of becoming an airline pilot.
Maggi took to the V8 quickly. “My first flights were in a stock C172 with carb heat and mixture controls which I never saw before. So, the single throttle was a real relief and definitely made it easier. But I think best improvements is not needing an engine run-up, it was more like a car, especially with the start button”. Maggi began training with the engine limited to 180HP, later increased to 205 HP, then 220 HP, which was a smooth transition to high performance operations in the same aircraft.
The C172 is owned by Corsair Engine Technologies based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Corsair is developing the alternative engine and working towards a supplemental type certificate (STC) for several legacy piston aircraft types.
Maggi is the second pilot to train and pass their FAA check rides in the Corsair C172, the first completing their commercial pilot training and check ride last year. Corsair realizes that small aircraft like the C172 are primarily used in flight training, time-building and recreational missions, and has proven a modern alternative engine for these legacy aircraft can make a practical difference in making flying far more affordable and environmentally friendly.
With the Corsair engine, the C172 operating cost (fuel, oil, engine reserves) is less than half with original engine (currently $28/hr at local car gas cost). With average 60 flight training hours in Corsair’s C172-V8, primary cost for a private pilot certificate (aircraft hourly operating cost, check ride/examiner fee, and 30 hours of CFI instruction*) is less than $3,800, all while eliminating leaded gas, lowering noise, and significantly increasing aircraft performance. A hybrid engine in development will further reduce cost and emissions.
Corsair expects C172’s and similar aircraft converted to their engine could rent out at flying clubs, FBO’s and flight schools for less than $75/hour while providing comparable margins to current leaseback owners and operators. Owning a legacy aircraft can again make financial sense again, and can substantially add efficient aircraft to the leaseback rental fleet to make a real environmental difference.
Pilot Earns Commercial Pilot Certificate in experimental Cessna
Congratulations to Carsten B., likely the first person to complete commercial training and a FAA check ride in an experimental category Cessna 172.
The C172 is owned by Corsair Engine Technologies based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Corsair is developing the alternative engine and working towards a supplemental type certificate (STC) for several legacy piston aircraft types.
The Corsair Alpha engine reduces aircraft operating cost by more than 50% compared to the original Lycoming engine. At current car gas prices, hourly operating cost (fuel, oil, engine reserves) went from over $60/hour to less than $24/hour compared to original C172 engine. “With the cost savings, Carsten’s 20 hours of training aircraft operating cost was less than his check ride examiner’s fee”, according to Carsten’s friend and Corsair co-founder, Rich MacMullin. “This is really our mission, to make flying affordable again while reducing GA’s environmental foot print”. “Carsten’s flying club’s rental rate for a C172 was $145…. the rental cost alone would have been over $3,000” for the same 20 hours! We believe converting existing piston aircraft would allow rental wet rates to fall between $55-$75 per hour for the C172 aircraft, all while increasing the performance and reducing emissions”.
Corsair completed its rigorous flight-testing program and the 1969 C172K now flies mostly to build time in different environments and conditions, and visit fly-ins. The aircraft is equipped with engine data logging software that tracks over 75 engine parameters that are used to determine wear and engine condition, as well as fine tune performance data. Knowing that most C172’s are used for training, Corsair offered the plane to Carsten to use for his actual commercial training for just the cost of fuel (about $16-$18/hour using car gas). “Although we performed all of the normal maneuvering required in private, instrument and commercial training programs during the test program, we wanted to put the plane through an actual training program, with an actual student, from start to finish”, Rich explained. “Carsten is probably the only person in the world to do this in an experimental C172, which is kind of cool”.
Corsair is also using the aircraft to train a 17-year-old student for her private pilot’s certificate, further proving the engine conversion may be a real game changer in making GA affordable again. “We expect the cost of 60 hours of direct operating cost for private training will be less than $1,400, compared to over $8,000 if renting at the average C172 rental rate….. this savings makes aircraft ownership actually make sense as well as lease backs to schools and clubs. This will get more aircraft back into the rental fleets and at far lower rates”, Rich added, “Owning can now make real sense for pilots needing to build time, as well as starting flying clubs”. Rich explained that training is tough on aircraft. “We spent hours doing consecutive touch and goes, go arounds, slow flight, all types of stalls, and dozens of induced inflight failures from every power setting and possible cause, CG location, weight, and burning different fuel types during the test flight program with different pilots”, he explained. “We use oil analysis and advance engine logging software to track engine condition and wear, but seeing the data throughout an actual training program from start to finish gave us real examples, and helped out a friend”.
The Alpha engine is rated to over 500 HP but is flat rated to between 180HP-220HP by software per the C172 airframe certified limits. It can maintain its set max power to over 5,000 feet altitude without turbo-charging and has no time limit at max thrust limit. Because the engine was often set to limits over 200 HP during his training, Carsten first needed to complete training for his high-performance aircraft endorsement, which allowed him to log PIC time during the commercial training. “It was actually quite cool”, Carsten explained. “For my first couple of flights, the engine was limited to 180 horse power, then 200, then 210, then 220 horse power, and I could really feel the difference…. It was a great transition and learning experience”. “But I think the feature I like most is not having to perform an engine run-up before takeoff, which really increased my actual flying time every flight as I went direct to the runway”. “Getting rid of the carb heat and mixture really simplifies things as well, and it will be tough going back to a regular Cessna”, he added.
The C172 is powered by Corsair’s V8 aluminum block engine, controlled by redundant electronic fuel injection (REFI) and software that eliminates carburetor heat and fuel mixture controls. The engine is flex-fuel rated and can consume different fuel types, including cheaper and more environmentally friendly automobile gas, as well as AVGAS. Corsair’s mission is to re-ignite GA by lowering cost and its environmental foot print. The conversion kit is designed to be a direct bolt-on replacement for popular legacy piston aircraft. Check out www.corsairV8.com for more information.