Engine is Manufacturer’s First in the Light Sport category
Williamsport, PA – April 21, 2009 – Lycoming Engines, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, has chosen T&T Aviation Inc., of Washington, Pa., as the local final product development and flight test partner for its new entrant into the light sport engine market, the IO-233-LSA.
T&T will test the engine in its Falcon aircraft, which was designed by Corvus Aircraft of Hungary and marked internationally as the Phantom.
The engine starts with the tried and true O-235 rotating system, but evolves considerably from there. The IO-233 has a new crankcase design including roller tappets, a new sump and accessory housing design, throttle body fuel injection and electronic ignition. It will be rated at 115 hp at 2800 RPMs with other ratings for 100, 90 and 80 horsepower depending on the customer’s request.
At its most fuel efficient, it will sip just 3.6 gallons per hour of fuel. Even better, the engine will be approved for use of EN228 and ASTM D4814 automotive based fuels with supplemental specs for safe operation.
Lycoming expects to be able to ship a limited number of non-certified IO-233-LSAs to select partners by the end of 2009.
About Lycoming Engines
Lycoming Engines specializes in Engineering, Manufacture, Service and Support of piston aircraft engines. Headquartered in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Lycoming piston engines power more than half of the world's general aviation fleet - both rotary-wing and fixed-wing. Lycoming Engines is a division of Avco Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. More information is available at www.lycoming.com.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) is a $14.2 billion multi-industry company operating in 28 countries with approximately 42,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, defense and intelligence, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com.