Turbine For The Masses Almost Ready (Still)

0

Innodyn Says Shipments Begin Next Month

A Pennsylvania company that says it can sell homebuilders a new turbine engine for about the same money as a certified piston engine of similar horsepower hopes to be fulfilling that elusive dream next month. This time, that means February (truth be told, we heard something very similar in August of ’05 … before that, in December of ’04 … and in April of ’04, when the company operated as Affordable Turbine Power Co., Inc.). Charlie Sullivan, Innodyn’s director of business development, this week told AVweb that the company is awaiting the arrival of a sophisticated dynamometer and a balancing machine to perform final tests on engines that are ready for shipment. What customers are waiting for are 188-pound turbines that put out 165 to 255 horsepower, with a TBO of 5,000 hours and price tag of between $26,500 and $34,500 (see AVweb‘s December “04 coverage for earlier details). Sullivan said he knows it sounds too good to be true to many people and that’s why he’s not anxious to make firm promises that the nature of groundbreaking technology can sometimes make difficult to keep. Sullivan won’t say how many engines will go out next month, nor will he reveal how many are on order but he did say the order book will keep the company busy until next year. And while the first production engines aren’t out the door yet, the company is already working on a more powerful successor. The twin turbine model (introduced in June ’05) will put out up to 500 horsepower and Sullivan suggested (he wouldn’t come right out and say it) that it will be a fraction of the price of entry-level turbines currently on the market.

LEAVE A REPLY