6 ms·
Entire life of the engine. After 1800 hours total operation, the engine should be overhauled: taken apart, cleaned, each part examined and replaced if necessary
by bitwize 4y ago
Entire life of the engine. After 1800 hours total operation, the engine should be overhauled: taken apart, cleaned, each part examined and replaced if necessary. Note that per FAA regulations in the USA, only actual flight time counts toward this limit, not time spent taxiing on the ground.
It'll take a normal private pilot a few years to reach 1800h of operation, so it's more economical if you're not flying the plane continuously for weeks at a time.
But yeah, it's expensive. Owning a plane is expensive. It depends on if it's worth it to you to operate the plane. Small single-engine planes like the Cessna 172 are commonly used for recreation or training. So if you use it often, such frequent overhauls will pay for themselves in terms of safety and reliability.
Maybe when all-electric recreational aircraft become common they won't have to be maintained quite so much...
- travisjungroth 4y agoMost private pilots will never get to 1800 hours. Even 100 hours per year is a lot.
- yunohn 4y agoInteresting, thanks for the context. TIL!
- NovemberWhiskey 4y agoPiston engines like you get in a Cessna 172 are also about the worst-case for overhaul times, since there's so much mechanical complexity and because they're often run at/near maximum rated power for long periods. Turboprop engines (effectively these are jet engines with propellers attached) like the ubiquitous P&W PT6A have TBOs up to 4,500 or even 6,000 hours.
- jeffrallen 4y agoElectric airplanes are already used in training in Europe. They are less expensive to operate on an hourly basis just because of fuel/energy cost. But they are probably also cheaper to overhaul; the Emrax motors in Pipistrels are relatively simple, and it would probably cost less to buy two and swap one out (sending the other one back to Emrax for a new bearings) than to do one thermal engine overhaul. And almost no downtime! (I work on another electric airplane which will take flight in 2023.)
- gavanm 4y agoIs there anything you can share regarding the electric plane? I had a look at your profile and couldn't see any links beyond your keys.
- jeffrallen 4y agoPie Aéronefs, s.a. of Switzerland
- bitwize 4y agoI've flown an electric plane. Granted it was only about 60 cm long from nose to tail (and I flew it from the ground) but I can speak to its simplicity, low cost, and ready availability of replacement parts compared to ICE-based planes of similar size. :)