Originally Posted by
frank edwards
Ghost Rider, let me make this perfectly clear I'm not here to get into a pissing contest, and I'm aware that the engine will run with, whatever ECU that it is connected too, and in answer your question "was it tested on a bench that measure the actual thrust" well my friend that is a wholeheartedly, "NO IT WAS NOT" now that being said ,it doesn't invalidate the tests that I performed. I've been in this hobby for 34 years, I've been flying turbines for 11 years, I have a variety of turbines from 80 class - 180 class, three different brands, (A total of 8 turbines) and trust me I know what 19 pounds, 30 pounds or whatever the pounds of thrust feels like in my hand so I don't need to use an exact measuring stick in this case.
Ok guys,
For the record,
Our factory test runs all the engines before they are sent to the customers. The max RPM in the manual is just that, a not to exceed RPM. Even though each turbine comes from the same parts, no 2 turbines are identical. That's why when a customer sets up a twin, he will have me match the thrust outputs on the test bench to fine tune them. Most every engine I test, usually puts out a tad more than it is suppose to. The Early K-80's had a completely different internals than the current versions. The earlier K80's used a "J" tube injector and the new 1's use needles. The factory made the change to make the engine even more reliable and more fuel efficient. The turbine in question was tested at the factory and the factory intentionally locked down the RPM because the engine was making the proper thrust at that RPM. If they left it higher, like Barry said per the customer, it is for safety reasons you don't want the engine over producing what it was designed to do. The good news about that engine is you are getting max performance and using less fuel, less wear & tear, due to lower RPM.
Hope this helps clear things up?
Dirk
KingTech Service