WELLINGTON, KS (July 30, 2020) – Air Plains Services, a world leader in general aviation engine and avionics upgrades, announced today it is offering the newly certified Lycoming Electronic Ignition System for its Lycoming 180 hp engines. The Lycoming EIS is a drop-in replacement for one mag, requires no maintenance through TBO and provides precise starts every time.
“The new Lycoming EIS is designed and tested to provide trouble-free operation and installation is not an issue,” said Katie Church, head of Air Plains marketing. “We’re offering it now as a stand-alone replacement of one mag and we’ll be adding it to our future XP kits as a no-cost option which we believe will be the most popular way to go.”
The Lycoming EIS, developed with SureFly, has no mechanical parts that wear and features all solid-state electronics providing operators a 2,400-hour operating service time with no inspections, no rebuilds, no overhauls. It promises a more consistent spark with higher accuracy than traditional magnetos and results in a more efficient operation, using less fuel.
Lycoming recommends replacing only one magneto – generally the left or impulse-coupled/starting magneto on most aircraft engines. Since the EIS requires the aircraft’s power to function, Lycoming recommends retaining one conventional magneto for when a redundant power source is not available.
Air Plains has delivered more than 2,500 172XP upgrades based on the Lycoming 180 hp engine and currently offers two STCs designed to meet almost any requirement.
For more information on the Lycoming EIS, call Air Plains at 800-752-8481 or (outside the U.S.) +1-620-326-8904.
Why would this electronic “Mag” not be approved for all of the 4 cylinder Lycoming engines,from the O-320 through the IO-360?
The SureFly ignition system, which is what this is, has an Approved Model List (AML) that includes aircraft with both Continental and Lycoming engines ranging from small four cylinders to large bore six cylinders. Some engines can use the variable timing option while others are limited to a fixed timing set point. It appears that about the only engines not on the approved list are the Lycoming D-mag engines fitted with the Bendix single drive dual magneto arrangement, and aircraft with no engine powered electrical system. Air Planes Service is targeting this announcement to the Cessna 172 fleet which has a 180 HP upgrade option.