Boy am I glad this week is over, it was a long one! As promised, here is the sub panel which finally has all its placards. This is kind of a unique process and different than engraving. We anodize the panel, make a reversed out mask and then sand blast the letters into the panel. Charles Robenalt did this work for us as well as the throttle quadrant.
What I like about most about the process is the depth of the letters is a little more then a few thousandths and matte finish, unlike engraving. It also is much easier to clean as well.
In the works is our custom tow bar designed to attach to our tail wheel and be used with a golf cart. We’ve had it done for a few months but I just have to get it powder coated, which will happen next week so we’ll share that as well.
We’ve had some nice emails come in this past week. We want to thank everyone for the continued support! More to come…….
]]>More Updates
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080429-224107
We are also excited that the team received our first new lens/visor for our flight helmets. What makes these so incredibly nice is just how rare they are. The custom visors are Iridium coated, which is just over the top esthetically beautiful.
Optional Iridium® lens coatings allow you to tune transmission for specific light conditions. Superheated metal oxides are fused to the lens at the molecular level, permanently bonding to create an optically uniform layer. By varying the composition and degree of saturation, Iridium® can produce a spectrum of lens hues, tailoring transmission of the light through the lenses from 9 to 92% of available light condition. We’ll post photos in the next few days.
Matt Jackson of Proline Pit Carts is busy building us our refueling cart and should have that done fairly soon. This was the second part of our order, so we’re excited about finally seeing that addition to the family.
The Title sponsorship pursuit has been fantastic the past few weeks, we’ve had a lot of solid interest, which is keep us very busy. Have a fantastic week and when we can, we’ll post photos of the panel and helmets for you all.
-Cheers!
]]>Brian Terwilliger's One Six Right
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080411-115153
We first met Brian when the Toucan was still in a shroud of secrecy (over a year ago now). Pat Forbes (Ninety-Nines member) was kind enough to bring Brian by our hangar, introduce us and share in our little secret that was about two thirds complete at the time. I believe Brian was on tour with select screenings of “One Six Right.” At that point, I hadn’t seen the film just the teaser, which was impressive enough.
As Brian and I conversed, we found common ground on several levels. The obvious love for aviation and something that is so very close to my heart… film making. It was so refreshing to talk about the art of storytelling. Most folks at the airport (home away from home) know little about my background, so the opportunity to talk “shop” with Brian was very rewarding. I remember asking Brian about frame rates relating to his film, I think he was floored I noticed something he said most overlooked. After talking with Brian that day, I thought to myself, how can someone so young possess so much talent, it’s just not fair!
Most don’t know but before Infinity Entertainment Inc. was founded, I spend the better part of 20 years in the Entertainment Industry. I mostly focused on visual F/X for Feature Film and Television. Being one of the last industries that still believes in apprenticeships, I started at the bottom like everyone else. With a lot of hard work and incredible mentorship by some of the best, I managed to work with some of Hollywood’s very finest. In the course of my career, I managed to win several Emmy’s (team awarded) for technical achievement. But the most rewarding part of making any film was the camaraderie and creativity that went into everything you touched. And flying seems to possess a bit of that same spirit.
Brian was kind enough to provide the Team with a copy of “One Six Right” when he left our hangar that day. With great anticipation we watched it that evening. I think Harrison Ford got it right when he said, “it is one of the finest aviation films ever made.” Hard to describe, it moved us all in different ways. The essence of the film is so pure without distinction of class or economic status. Whether you fly a trainer, a P-51 or just dream about being a pilot, it found the common thread that binds everyone that is in love with the idea of flight. I have to mention the original score for this film which is just incredible.
If you love aviation and have not seen this film, it is HIGHLY recommended. If you love aviation and you haven’t heard of this film, then you must be living under a rock. I think the aviation community as a whole owes Brian a great deal of gratitude for poring his heart and sole into a film that has so many positive messages about general aviation, in a world that doesn’t understand it.
With the high definition format war concluded and a Blue Ray machine on my Christmas list, I think I’ll have to hit Brian up for a Blue Ray version of “One Six Right!!!”
For more information on “One Six Right”, please go to www.onesixright.com and do us all a huge favor buy supporting Brian with the purchase of this fine, “must see” film!
]]>Insight Through Fantastic Data!
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080407-011959
As I’d like to call it, the thread to wisdom. And the end game (wisdom) comes from really good data, which is what we have been compiling since the advent of the Turbine Toucan. Other then Wayne Handley, very little exploration has been done with a turboprop in such demanding conditions as aerobatic flight with positive thrust to weight. And for this reason, data becomes an extremely important component to the success of our program. If it were not for this technology, we would literally be in the dark.
Just ten years ago the technology that we are now collecting in the Turbine Toucan was either not available or simply not possible. No, we’re not talking GPS/moving maps and the likes; we’re talking about VR Avionics TSLM. The TSLM acronym stands for Turbine Starter Limiting/Monitoring system.
This is an incredible piece of technology and the only one of its kind in the marketplace. The TSLM does three things really well; it is a start sequence controller for the turbine, an engine protection limiter and an engine monitor and recorder. You would think every Pilatus, King Air or any other PT6 powered aircraft would have this level of sophistication in the cockpit, but they don’t.
Lets start with the start sequence controller part of the TSLM. Starting our turboprop is a beautifully automated, hands-off, one button push operation. It monitors all engine parameters and makes any necessary fuel adjustment (something like up to 50 in a second) to get a clean, cool start every time. As an example, PT6’s in the certified realm require manual starting and reacting to instrumentation interpretation by hand. If you’re a second late catching an exceedence in ITT, it could easily result in a hot start. To give you an idea of the cost of a hot start, look around your average parking lot, and pick the nicest, most expensive car you can and you’d have a down payment on the repair. That is justification enough to have VR’s hardware!
Though we originally assigned the TSLM’s primary role for starting, we soon discovered that in our application, the In-Flight Limiting was perhaps the single most desirable feature set in the TSLM. The first generation TSLM’s as good as they are, did have some limitations and were not all that conducive to In-Flight limiting. But that has all changed.
VR Avionics was kind enough to send us a new second-generation unit that is full In-Flight limiting capable. It’s all do to major hardware changes in the TSLM architecture. The TSLM now has an analog controller (instead of digital) for controlling the EHT valve. What the heck is that you say? The EHT is an Electro-Hydraulic Thermocouple that is a component of the fuel control unit (FCU).
The EHT has two purposes, one for controlling fuel in the start sequence and the other is to meters/restricts fuel in the case of an exceedence in ITT, N1, N2 or Torque. Controlling the EHT digitally when starting is very easy and not hard on the engine. At full power, that is another issue. Controlling the EHT digitally at high power settings can create pulsing, which would be very hard on the turbine with the compressor spinning at a whopping 36,200rpm. Under analog control the TSLM can control voltage to the EHT giving very smooth, modulated fuel restriction to the EHT/Fuel control unit. This really is a huge breakthrough for In-Flight Limiting.
Let’s give you a practical example of why this technology and data has been so valuable to our team. On an aggressive take-off roll the Turbine Toucan can reach close to 100kt in just a few seconds. One can literally be airborne in less than 100ft. But in doing this we had several exceedences that we were totally unaware of because of the speed in which they were happening and the transitory nature of the exceedence.
We’re looking outside the cockpit during take off (as any high performance tail wheel pilot will attest). Because the plane weighs so little and accelerates so quickly under high power settings it takes every ounce of concentration to keep it on the centerline. About eight seconds into the flight we’re looking back in the cockpit at parameters, but in this case, it was to late.
The cause of the problem was the propeller governor not being able to keep up with the propeller as it is unloading from a high power setting, brake release type roll out. Our turboprop was designed for a twin-engine application weighing more then nine times what the Turbine Toucan weighs. The lack of mass/inertia and the speed in which the Turbine Toucan accelerates, the prop governor just couldn’t quite keep up. As the prop rpm exceeds, it takes everything else with it including ITT, N1 and Torque. If we didn’t look at the data after flying we would never have seen this transitory spike, which could ultimately have lead to a catastrophic failure if we continuously operated the engine in this fashion. And this is why In-Flight limiting is SO important.
For you piston guys let me illustrate why this data is REALLY important. On a piston aerobatic aircraft you usually set max RPM on the prop governor at about 2700rpm at the max throttle position. This allows you to put in all the power and forget about it and focus on flying. Now, imagine if you threw out the prop governor and set up your throttle quadrant to have max throttle at 4000rpm (knowing your engine will grenade at 3200rpm). All of a sudden your eyes would be glued to the panel! Well, it’s kind of like that. At high altitudes where the turboprop is most efficient you rarely have to worry about exceeding any parameters, but at seal level that is very much not the case.
You can see why this technology is so important to us! We are extremely grateful to both Maurits and Tjaart for the overwhelming support over the past year and a half. The technology they have provided us has proven to be the lifeblood of our aircraft. And I think it is fair to say that our application of their technology is about as extreme, mission critical as it comes.
]]>The Hunt Continues......
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080331-144840
It’s been a while since our last post so I thought we’d get you all up to speed. We’ve been working extremely hard trying to secure our title sponsor. We have managed to have several meetings a week. As we continue to get accolades about the program, the economy is really on everyone’s mind we have met with, and the reason most want to delay any commitment.
I can’t even begin to tell you how many emails we receive wanting to see the Turbine Toucan at their local air show. We have had a great deal of interest from air show promoters as well. It is really amazing and frustrating all at the same time. We continue to be absolutely amazed at the level of support we receive by folks like your selves. The frustration comes from not being able to perform for you all.
As we’ve stated before, it is impossible to campaign our air show program without a title sponsor. And this is true for several reasons. Our program is expansive; it not only includes the Toucan, it also includes a 75ft. tractor-trailer, support/media aircraft and support equipment. Add required spare parts inventory in excess of $300k and you start to see the picture.
And then there’s is the operational costs. Because our program is predicated on safety first, we require Ken to be flying at a minimum of four times a week, every week for several months before we campaign the aircraft. To illustrate the cost, the last time we topped off the Toucan it was about $500.00. It is a thirsty little bird that loves its nectar. At 60 gallons an hour in the aerobatic environment, Jet-A adds up quickly. That is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, but you get the idea.
So when we get requests to do a few shows while we are looking for our title sponsor, the investment in training still has to be made whether we do two shows or twenty. Our other major concern is for our title sponsor. Our title sponsor needs to be associated with the Toucan from day one.
In the mean time, we are now just designing and working out all the maneuvers. Many of these maneuvers will be proprietary to the aircraft and first-evers! The potential in the vertical really makes for an interesting exploration, which I know Ken has been mentally exploring since the start of this project.
And lastly, we continue to get hammered by people wanting to see “real” video of the Toucan doing its thing. We have learned a lot about shooting the Toucan and one thing is for sure, a helicopter seems to be the appropriate platform for this bird. So, once we get our maneuvers worked out, we’ll plan on doing some shooting. In the mean time, we really appreciate your patience.
]]>Thank You for All the Kind Emails!
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080312-173039
Now and then we get some fun e-mails of quotes that have been posted on the Internet regarding the Turbine Toucan. We can't find who the author was but found this saying very amusing. "Anything worth powering is worth over powering". I think I need to get some T-Shirts of that one made, very funny.
Now that the plane is back in the air and things seem to be moving along in that department, it is back to work for the team to acquire a title sponsor. More to follow in that department.
Have a great rest of the week!]]>Toucan Returns to the Air with Great Success
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080309-193055
We learned one thing about the plane today, the plane will accelerate indefinitely straight up at about 75 kts -80 kts. I say indefinitely but perhaps it will finally slow down a bit by 10,000ft. The performance of the plane just continues to amaze all of us. After this last shake down cruise the plane will be handed back over to Mr. Ken Erickson. We will have a press release or two once Ken gets settled back in the plane and we are doing what the plane was designed to do in the first place.
All the best and have a great week! ]]>Turbine Toucan Returns to Flight Status Sunday March 9th
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080308-232200
Insurance Technologies and Programs has endorsed 750T to flight status as of 9:30pm Saturday night. Talk about incredible service, we sent them an e-mail letting them know we're ahead of schedule with maintenance and that we'd like to return the aircraft to flight status for flying on Sunday. The e-mail was sent out tonight (Saturday at a 9:00pm PST). By 9:30PST (12:30AM EST) we received a confirmation e-mail that we are good to go, endorsed for flight status. UNBELIEVABLE.
This makes Team Turbine Toucan VERY happy. Now, if the weather cooperates we should be in the air tomorrow. Have a good weekend. ]]>Bleed Air System Complete......Thank You Syl!!!!!!!
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080305-220857
Syl has been a huge supporter of the Turbine Toucan for some time now and we are extremely grateful. I first saw Syl a number of years ago (before we actually met) at an anodizing facility named Dean’s Anodizing in Redwood City. Syl was having some absolutely beautiful fly-fishing reels anodized. What I didn’t realize at the time was, he actually made them from billet aluminum. He is a master of many things, including a CNC/Mill, lathe and other such hardware.
At 82 years old, this guy is sharper then any 30 something genius you’ll ever meet. I don’t know any sixteen year old that can keep up with him technology wise. He has EVERY latest gadget from Apple and is extremely well versed in SO many applications it blows my mind. Did I mention he is an accomplished pilot, yachtsmen and astronomer? The telescopes he has built are works of art. Even more impressive are the scale model engines he has built. From Sterling to Steam to a four cycles engine, Syl has built them all. Check out his site at http://www.syl.net/engines.html
I have had the extreme pleasure to enjoy breakfast with Syl several times a week for the past few years now. The thirst for knowledge is something that keeps him so young at heart. I don’t care the subject; he will have an opinion, and usually a very good one at that. And that included politics!
Syl, thanks for being such a good friend and the next lunch is on me!
It was a long time in the making but the panel is finally complete and the plane is about ready to fly. The Comm radios were relocated to the new sub panel on the left hand side with the new glass panel. Lots of little things done throughout the panel upgrade but would take to long to list them all. You’ll notice we even have a custom start screen on the new engine display. Electronics International was kind enough to help us out with our graphic, which I will also post. Enjoy the photos of the new panel and we’ll keep you posted on our flying now that we are just a few days away from it, finally.
Have a good week!!!
]]>We Promised Photos, So Here You Go!
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080304-204036
]]>Getting Started on the Start Cart
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080302-043111
As of yesterday we received our custom-built start cart for the Toucan. Matt Jackson of Proline Pit Carts was kind enough to provide the team a custom cart specifically design for our application. The start cart consists of a GPU, Generator, Computer(s), telemetry system and all required general maintenance tools and supplies. It is designed to be with the Toucan on the line and will provide us with 3500 cranking amps at 28V! It will travel in with the tractor-trailer venue to venue.
We immediately got to work installing our Tesla GPU (another great sponsor!) today and should be done on Sunday with this. We also will be installing the generator so the cart not only has 28v but 110v service as well. Lastly will be the computer, telemetry system and antennas for both the telemetry radio and VHF crew radio.
Should be a fun little project. We will post pictures in the next few days along with the new panel.
We want to again thank our fantastic sponsors for all their help and continued support around the start cart.
Proline Pit Carts http://www.prolinepitcarts.com ]]>Panel Upgrade Complete
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080228-181605
As of today (Thursday the 28th), the panel upgrade is now complete. I'd have posted photos but didn't bring the camera down to the airport. We're still waiting for paving to be completed so we can roll it out of the hangar and fire it up. We have only to finish the bleed air system and we will start putting the Toucan back together for some flying, which could happen as early as next weekend.
Our start cart has been down in Los Angeles and we plan on picking it back up tomorrow other wise we'd post photos tomorrow of the new panel. We've customized the cart to accept our Tesla GPU w/Gen Set, so it really should be very nice. We'll post new photos of the cart as well, just as soon as we get back home. Over the weekend we should be able to get some photos posted of the new panel, so please stay tuned.
We are really excited about the new panel, the glass instrumentation is just awesome and is extremely flexible. Every element of the system is customizable and user definable, which is exactly what we needed.
]]>Final Parts Arrive Panel Completion in less than 5 Days!
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080223-210147
We'll move on to installing the new bleed air system which should only take a day or so to do. So all is looking good for flying in the first or second week of March.
Believe it or not, though they paved the taxi way next to our hangar row, they ran into soil issues with paving the taxi way in front of our hangars. No ETA on when they are going to be completing. To be completely fair, they have been dealing with an amazing amount of rain, which has left the area completely muddy. I could not get to the hangar without being ankle deep in mud, not at all fun.
Photos should finally be coming next week for anyone interested. Have a good week. ]]>A Story with Rosie the Kenworth
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080215-042409
I promised a while back I would post a photo of our tractor for an individual who has followed our progress with the Toucan. He is also a fulltime driver. Since we are still waiting for a few parts and have no new exciting updates to share, might as well talk about trucks.
For anyone interested in trucks, this is our Kenworth T2000 (VIP interior) Aerodyne. The T2000 is powered by a 550hp CAT and 13-speed transmission. We plan on pimping the truck out a bit, as soon as we decide on a final paint scheme, which really is driven by the Title sponsor.
It really is a fun truck to drive. We bobtailed it out to St. Louis to pick up our 53ft. hospitality trailer from Craftsmen Industries, who are great people. The trip was a blast. We decided to see a bit of the country and stay off the interstate for a day or so. Going through Nebraska we stopped in Beatrice, which was one of our stops a few years prior ferrying my Pitts back to California from Wisconsin. We had dinner at a bar and grille that had live music, which was just a blast. They had a car show that afternoon, so we spent time with people showing us some great little hot rods.
Anyway, left Beatrice on hwy 136 West bound. All the small towns were just wonderful to see, something you just don’t appreciate on the interstate. We started back up north to interest 80 around Kearney NE. We spent some time in Sidney NE, we really enjoyed our visit there too. That was our last real stop, and then we started the drive back to San Francisco on good old interest 80, an old friend. I think I’ve driven cross-country at least 12 times now. Next time I do it (in a car) I’m going back roads all the way; it is just fun and a great journey. Obviously I don’t drive for a living, though I do have a class A.
Back to the long-winded and never ending story….. Just about 10 or so miles from the border of Wyoming, we witnessed an accident that really took the winds out of our sails, and everyone around us going westbound. Two guys in fully dressed out Gold Wings were in the median between eastbound and westbound traffic. It was a fairly wide area, about 50 or so yards between east and west bound traffic. They obviously were going to attempt to make a u turn and head back east. About a quarter to half a mile in front of them, looking west bound, was a large sweeping turn, which descends from a large hill.
They thought they were clear and entered the fast lane. What they didn’t see coming was a 75ft fully loaded tractor-trailer, at speed, in the same lane. They literally never saw it coming. I don’t think there was a part of either motorcycle that was even remotely recognizable. Body parts were everywhere. The trucks front end was virtually destroyed, which is a scary thought if you think about the size of this conventional (our size tractor).
As awful as all this was, we couldn’t stop thinking about how traumatic it must have been for the poor driver of that truck. He will carry that with him the rest of his life and he did absolutely nothing wrong. Obviously it was a real tragedy for the bikers and their families too, but thankfully I don’t think the bikers felt a thing.
We and a few other tractor-trailers pulled off at the very next truck stop to collectively gather our thoughts before continuing west. There was a line from “Finding Nemo” when Marlin (the father) said to Dory……”good feeling’s gone.” Boy that was the truth. I don’t remember anything past that point in the trip other then crossing the border into California and thinking just five more hours and we’re home. I just wanted to get home safely, and we did.
Our poor truck needs to get out and be driven! Promise #326, will be to provide Rosie a sponsor so she can pull that hospitality trailer around the country to all those fun air shows. I think that would make her happy. OK, that is not the best story to kick off a weekend but non the less a story from the vantage point of Rosie the Kenworth.
Have a great weekend!
]]>Less Dirt and Sponsorship Update
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080208-165541
We are just waiting for parts and we’ll start the reassembly process now that everything works nicely. We still have a few calibrations to do on the engine side as well as fuel tank recalibrations. We’re also going to rework the bleed air mix venturi for cabin heat, which could be performing a bit better. So, it looks like we’ll be in good shape for flying by the end of the month.
On the Sponsorship trail, we continue to receive fantastic feedback regarding our overall presentation, market data and property offerings which, is a nice shot in the arm during these tough times. We are extremely grateful to have secured more then 20 meetings at the CMO level with many Fortune 500 companies. Anyone who has ever done serious business development knows how challenging making contacts at this level can be.
As far as unique and compelling properties go, we have made good impressions. That said, we are faced with an economy that has many of these companies a bit scared. Many are either cutting back on spending or delaying any decisions for one to two quarters. So, obviously this is making it a very big challenge.
Have a great weekend and we’ll follow up with more news in a weeks time.
]]>Panel Powered Up
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080204-020136
As soon as the panel is complete then we will start the re-calibration of all the transducers and thermocouples. We'll also configure all the aural annunciators for warning and redline. This should be a few days work as well.
We won't be able to run the engine for at least another few weeks considering there still is no taxi way and a large mound of dirt right outside.
Anodizing should be happening this week, which means things will be going back together shortly.
Have a good week!]]>Wiring Harness for New Panel Complete
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080131-160641
The physical panel itself is just now being finished up and will be sent to the anodizing shop along with a few other parts from the panel. We should have this wrapped up in the next week.
We have a few other projects around the plane which are coming along nicely as well.
There is still eight feet of dirt right outside the hangar, not sure how much longer it is going to be here, but it doesn't look promising.
More to follow. ]]>Panel Upgrade Continues
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080126-022925
Well the wiring for the new panel upgrade is going well and should be complete as of this Saturday evening. We have a lot of new warning systems to integrate which might take us a few more weeks as we are waiting for special order parts. All in all, we are on track. The only thing that makes us feel a little better about our pace is the fact that there is still tons of dirt and no taxi way, so we couldn’t fly if we wanted to.
The sponsorship hunt is consuming better then forty hours a week with the team. The current economy sure has had a HUGE damper on available marketing dollars and this past week sure has been tough on the team. Add an election year to the mix and it sure has paralyzed spending.
Hopefully we’ll be at a point we can finally start taking pics of the new panel.
On the weather front, it's actually been snowing around the Bay Area, flooding down south and just bizarre weather overall. Stay warm out there and have a good weekend!
]]>Much Anticipated Parts Arrive!
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080111-192933
We’ll post pics as soon as we can. Enjoy the weekend.
]]>Major Weather Passes through Northern California, with more to come.......
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080107-234127
Happy New Year again! We’re sitting here getting slammed by several storms in Northern California. With the new hangars being built, it was SO muddy we couldn’t get to our hangar for several days. It has just been a mess at KSQL the past few weeks. We’re still waiting for parts for the panel, which we’re hoping will be here in the next day or two. Then we can finally finish up the panel. As soon as the panel is a little closer we’ll get pictures posted, should be really nice when we are done. We are extremely anxious get back in the air, it has been WAY to long.
We continue our hunt for a title sponsor, Susan has been hard at work on that front. We have had great dialog with several companies, so we’ll keep you posted on that front.
All the best.
David
]]>2008, Bring it On!!!!
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080101-135516
We are looking forward to a wonderful 2008. Last year was spent finishing the plane at the end of February then trucking it down to Hollister CA. After a series of tweaks and minor setbacks we made our first flight in May. The rest of the year would be dedicated to our test program which was recently concluded.
2008 will be another year of innovation for us. Only this year Ken Erickson will be the focus of the team. Ken will get started flying the plane again in February, once the new panel is in and everything is correctly calibrated. We are currently still waiting on parts.
The most important focus for 2008 is SPONSORSHIP. We are confident we'll find a title sponsor who shares in both our passion and vision. Air shows remain a VERY untapped opportunity for fortune 1000 companies with regard to experiential marketing. At the moment, the 2008 air show season for the Turbine Toucan is questionable. Without adequate funding, you really cannot safely operate the program. There is a chance that we'll get going the later part of the season, if all goes well that is currently the best we can hope for.
We have been extremely fortunate to work with several motorsport sponsorship consultants. One of which brokered some of the larger sponsorship partnerships with both NASCAR and IRL. Though we are a smaller entertainment property, we have been given some very exciting and encouraging feedback. We seem to have many of the mandatory elements to successful partner with a fortune 1000 company.
2008 will definitely be about match making! Happy New Years!!!!!!]]>Annual and Turbine Inspection, an Über Annual if you will......
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry071219-152954
Though our test phase is over, we are now going to take a much needed look at how everything is working for us. This includes an extremely expensive look at the engine. We have put the engine in attitudes not usually seen in turboprop applications, so this is a mandatory part of our program. In most cases we would be very happy just doing a borascope on all the components of the turbine. But because of the need to see the root of the blades on the compressor side, we have decided to hire a specialist, split the case and have a look.
We also decided since we have the cases split, we’d do a dye penetrant test on varies components including the compressor wheel. We also inspect the hot section, bearings and gearbox. We'll post photos.
This will continue to be something we do annually to insure the health of the engine and safety for the entire team. Is it an expensive annual? You betcha! But, campaigning an aircraft like this is hugely expensive. Operating it at this level of safety makes it even more expensive.
Because this is an evolutionary process of development, we continue to make changes that increase safety and reduce workload. And as mentioned in the past few postings, we have redesigned the panel to reduce pilot workload and increase efficiency. That process is going well. All engine instruments are out of the panel and we are now getting ready to make the necessary modifications to incorporate the new glass panel. We’ll keep you posted on the progress and hope to be back in the air soon.
]]>Boy Do We Got Dirt!!!
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry071215-162317
If there were any reason for the timing of our annual this year, this picture pretty much says it all. We got up early to go down to the hangar and were surprised by the 8ft. high mound of dirt that wasn’t there the evening before. And I guess it is going to be with us for about a month. Still another month before we can actually taxi the plane out of this area.
I guess the upside is San Carlos Airport is getting 40 new hangars. Most are on the list 20 years before they get a hangar. And when you do, it was a week after you turned 70 and just lost your medical. We’re hoping we get one of these new hangars.
]]>Team Makes Hard Decision in Pursuit of Sponsorship for 2008
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry071210-105509
It is with great sadness that we will not be attending ICAS this year. We have second round talks with a Fortune 1000 company that happens to land on Dec. 12th, right in the middle of the show. And as much as we want to lay the foundation with air show producers/organizers for the upcoming season, having a sponsor somewhat eclipses everything else.
We are very late in the sponsorship sales cycle for 2008, a lot of which happened because of delays with the test program over the past eight months. And as many will know, sales cycles for such sponsorships are very long. Our number one priority is making sure that the Turbine Toucan is properly funded from day one!
So, if you want to see the Turbine Toucan at an air show near you, keep your fingers, arms, legs and anything else you got crossed and throw a lot of good karma our way too!
We’ll continue to keep you all posted on our journey in this department, we have a lot going on. Continued happy holidays!
]]>WOW, The E-Turbine Toucan Debut!
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry071205-174413
If the news about Quique becoming FAI’s F3A World Champion wasn’t enough, we just received some exciting video of the E-Turbine Toucan. We’ll upload the video on the site in the next week or so but in the mean time, check it out on youtube:
The 25th World Championship Radio Control FAI F3A held in Argentina November 8th - 18th 2007 was a highly emotional event for Champion pilot Quique Somenzini. For years, winning this championship has been a personal goal for Quique, and this year he did it. After 10 rigorous days of flying among the worlds best aerobatic pilots, Quique progressively added points to his score card and closed the event with 1st place honors.
Congratulations to Quique for reaching his goal and for an excellent demonstration at the 2007 F3A World Championships.
-Your Turbine Toucan Teammates]]>New Video Clips
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry071202-201608
We'll have the clip on our site soon enough but for now, please go to youtube.com
]]>Happy Holidays!!
http://www.turbinetoucan.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry071123-173850
The Turbine Toucan is an extremely demanding airplane to fly, not in the sense of physically controlling the plane but monitoring various systems. As any Pitts driver will tell you, when you’re rolling out on take off your not looking in the cockpit. With turboprops, monitoring ITT, Torque, N1 & N2 is absolutely critical. So, it is something that is virtually impossible to do well in the current configuration.
With that in mind, we needed to create a more comprehensive, interactive solution to reduce workload on the pilot. With the new panel we’ll have aural annunciation of engine parameters as well as addition visual cues during the critical time, on take off roll and during aerobatics. We’re finding that telemetry alone is just not sufficient.
We all concluded that it was not a good idea to significantly change the panel half way through training for next year’s air show season, so we better do it sooner then later. When done, we’ll resume time to climb record attempts and start some extreme vertical maneuvers.
Over the next month or so we’ll keep you posted on our progress and post pictures of the new panel in progress.
