Taking shape slowly.

Skydive206,

I keep meaning to ask if you are looking at any provisions for "hot fuel" on this project. It's become a bit of an issue in the ag world lately and seems like it would be needed for your planned use instead of running up a cycle count? Just curious mostly.

The 206 has a long tank were the cap is near the wing / strut intersection. This keeps you away from the prop some what. Ok, standing on a ladder, fuel hose in hand, 600c exhaust going by you, and spinning prop would give an OSHA inspector a heart attack. I have seen tougher hot fueling senerios, When fueling the Twin Otters fwd tank you are closer to the prop than the Tiger 206 will be. The company that I am working with has a single point fueling system but I am just trying to get into the sky now and will worry about that later. My target goals are to fly 4 flights off the LR rt 40 gal tank before refueling. The pilot keeps his reserve fuel in the lt wing, The fueler would just have to top the rt wing, first flight after fueling load should be limited to 5 jumpers and pilot, after the first flight pilot and 6 jumpers.

Looking good! Flew jumpers out of a 206 for a while, will be cool to come down without concerns. Is that a cat in the background? Your place or the company you are working with?

I'm no jumper, but may come out there just to take a spin in that whip ! We don't have that kind of thing in the mid atlantic that I'm aware of......

Been watching the pictures of the project come along. Looks like a rocket ship! Beautiful looking from the nose to the aft fuselage. Please update us with new pictures/progress soon!

Next aircraft and engine for conversion. I loaded it with one other guy in under 30 min. This airframe weighs under 1800lbs empty and will go straight up.

eh009us wrote:I'm no jumper, but may come out there just to take a spin in that whip ! We don't have that kind of thing in the mid atlantic that I'm aware of......

I think after the ride up in this thing jumping out for the ride down would seem pretty mellow

Placing this here also as an answer to fuel flows.
Burns are going to be 25-35 gph at nominal altitudes and power settings. Down low against the airspeed redline 35-40gph and up at 10K-12K msl middle of the yellow arch 25gph. One of the ball kickers will be the idle fuel flow of 16-17gph. Know where you are going after startup and hope the taxi is short. If you have a big enough bottle of O2 and climb to the low 20s msl and the speed and fuel flow will be better than a TU206, take it high enough and see the fuel flow down at idle setting. Using 640 degree operating temp the engines hot section will out last your medical, this will give you 450hp for takeoff and climb, 350hp at 10kmsl. You will be indicating 160-180kts at that pwr setting (35-40gph) depending on OAT. Pull back the pwl lever to 25gph and should see 140+kts indicated truing 168+kts. The bleed valve is still closed giving relatively good efficiency at the 25gph setting but I don’t think you can loiter efficiently below that. Some PT6-20s have different class stators giving different altitude performance. Twin Otters, Porters want stators that are Open allowing max power down low, King Airs want the stator classed closed for high alt performance. The open stator class allows more air flow by less back pressure letting the Gas Generator to spin closer to 100% (cooler) up to 15K msl. A closed stator class, temp limits the low alt performance but the engine doesn’t reach the GG 100% until the high teens - 20s. Best way to operate this airplane in Point A - B is, Radios, Clearance, GPS, Start, taxi and depart, Climb 90-100kts indicated to 10-14K, power to cruise in the airspeed yellow arch, wait until you can almost see the airport, chop the power and come on down. Standard Long Range tanks of 80 gals should give you 6 min taxi of 2 gals, 6 min to alt (12.5K) on less than 5 gals, cruise 25gph for 2 hours and less than 5 gals for the decent and landing leaving 18 gals for 45 min reserve on a 350nm trip with pilot + 5 pax. Turbine drivers know that if you get an ATC hold at 2k be ready to divert because low alt fuel flow will chew up that reserve fast. STCed internal and external fuel tanks giving 3 more hours of range can be installed.
I know its a long answer but there are a lot of pilot choices how he wants to fly. In the light weights I can x-country put-put 110kts true in my recip 206s 20inhg/2000rpm 8-9gph. Will never see that with my turbine.

Skydive206 wrote:Next aircraft and engine for conversion. I loaded it with one other guy in under 30 min. This airframe weighs under 1800lbs empty and will go straight up.

Looks like you're gonna need a good carbon monoxide detector if you're gonna mount that thing in there.

posted some fresh photos of the cowl, prop and spinner in my Cessna 206 file. Couldnt get the BB code.

Looks good!! getting closer

Added Engine access cover, exhaust, and a little paint

Thank you everyone that has shown interest in this PT6-20 U206 concept. Unfortunately the company that is supposed to perform and complete the work to STC cannot find the time to work on and complete my airplane. Quality work has been done on the aircraft and significant effort by the conversion company has been done. 90% done 90% to go. They were behind on the contract over a year ago and I allowed it to continue because of the quality work but for the past 7 months they have been pushing it to the back of the hanger and working on it when nothing else is going on. They tell me that they will work on it tomorrow, It will be running in 2 ½ weeks, flying by ___, but it has just been words from the owner of the company and no action. I believe they had good intentions but they already have all my money and working on my plane doesn’t bring in money today. I want this program to be completed but there has to be a change.

I am hoping that if possible buyers of the STC conversion kit contact them and ask, If they are going to complete it?, Explain the demand for this aircraft, When it will be completed? How much the kit will cost? express interest in purchasing a completed kit with STC, Show that this will be a money making endeavor for them if they push forward and get this done. Hopefully then they will dedicate the time needed to get it done. Don’t get into a conversation of Why it’s not done because it is a waste of time. Ive wasted enough time and money on that “F”ing question. The owner has a list of excuses of why it’s not done, blames me, (Really?) I have not delayed this program in any way and they have received the money and all required parts of the contract up front and in full.

If you would be a possible buyer of the STC conversion kit please contact him. Remember this needs to be the carrot. Ive been swing the stick but his hide is to thick. Turbine Conversions Ltd. http://turbineconversions.com/default.html Bill Hatfield (Owner) 616-837-9428 [email protected] (Do not give these people any money without the hardware in your hand or everthing air tight in an escrow account)
Thank you for your support in this endeavor. Van Pray 636-484-0084

I have a friend (a member of BCP), in a similar situation getting a 185 clone finished. It seems like we all have to learn this the hard way, no person or company should be trusted with much of your money up front to get the job done, it took me a couple times to finally learned that lesson. It is sad, but seems to be all too common any more, just part of the moral decay. Getting these people's name out in public is about all we can do. Good luck, it is a neat project.

Steve

Unfortunately he's got you're airframe, engine and money and now none of it is usable. I learned a lesson a while back about an STC and fronting money before you get your product in a usable form. Aviation is an addictive hobby for some and a living for others. And so with addictions and people that make a living at it there will be some that are going to be predators.

Van & Flight:
I've worked on several engine swap STC's --- they are EXTREME Engineering projects and FAA is not cooperative in helping. The Basler Turbo DC-3 was a very long and expensive project- . Volpar was NOT successful(20 million investment) even with Pratt & Whitney support and engines.Lear Fan got it Certification and then lost it. Engine up grades are maybe 5 in a hundred chance of success. I'd just get a Soloy 206 and be done with it. Soloy did 3 -Cessna 185's without getting STC. Cessna 206-207's are not common but available with STC .P-210 is available at a extreme cost.Van good luck on getting your 206 approved but you've got a long up hill battle. YMMV -

I have a friend (a member of BCP), in a similar situation getting a 185 clone finished

I had a problem with the Super Cyclone people back in 1998. I think it was different people back then---got 2/3's of my money back.

He bought an unfinished project from a guy's widow and is having a shop finish it up for him Marty. What had to be finished were nuts and bolts things for the most part. A situation of a hurting business taking advantage of an honest individual, using his money and working on new paying projects, mean while he has had no plane to fly for a couple of years.

Steve

We used to calculate 300 pph (or right at 45 gph) at slow cruise for the C-208 with the 675 horse PT-6. Hope it works out to be practical.