ForcedAeroMotive: SuperCharged DA40
Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 8:00 pm
Hello everyone. This is my first post to this forum though I am a regular on the other Diamond forum. My home field is a grass strip not far from KVUO.
I wanted to write and update you on a little project that I have been privileged to be involved with. Namely - Supercharging a DA40. Last November I delivered 40.649 to Rod the owner of Forced Aeromotive Technologies (http://www.forcedaeromotive.com/) or FAT for short. The goal is to supercharge my DA40 then for FAT to create an STC for everyone to use. My interest is strictly to better the airplane (specifically mine) while FAT's interest is to add a new product to their business. I'm not getting compensated for "advertising" but do it because the STC will only be applied for if there is encough interest to make it pay for it's self. In the mean time my airplane will be under an experimental "market survey" certificate until either I get a one time STC or the final STC is approved.
So here is where the project currently stands. The plane has been ground run and was able to produce over 30" MAP even though the field elevation was 6,000' (Denver, Co area). A newer pulley has since been installed which should provide even more boost. The design goal is to achieve sea level power upto between 7 & 9,000'.
The joke is, even though they use the letters FAT it can be said that this installation is anything but fat. So far it only weights 18.4 lbs and is expected to grow less than 1 lb by the time it is all finished. That means that those of you with the 20 lbs of ballast should be able to remove the ballast and install the supercharger. Trading dead weight for something really useful.
The supercharger being pulley driven has one failure mode. Which would be the supercharger failing to provide boost because of a broken belt or other event. If this were to happen then the aircraft, so I am told, just reverts to normally aspirated minus about 0.2" MAP.
Management of the boost will be completely the pilot's responsibility. With this system the pilot must push in the throttle so that the MAP reads a no more than a maximum allowed value. I don't yet know what that limit is. Should be someplace between 29 & 30". What ever was used when the engine was certified to 180hp.
The FAA is scheduled to sign off the paperwork on Tuesday 22 MAR 11. Then it will be ready for the first flight tests. I will post flight data on currusreports and make it public once FAT gets the file to me.
The installation requires a bump in the cowl. You can see attached photos of the work being done on the cowl and a very early mock-up of the installation (which has since changed considerably) to give you an idea of what is being done.
I wanted to write and update you on a little project that I have been privileged to be involved with. Namely - Supercharging a DA40. Last November I delivered 40.649 to Rod the owner of Forced Aeromotive Technologies (http://www.forcedaeromotive.com/) or FAT for short. The goal is to supercharge my DA40 then for FAT to create an STC for everyone to use. My interest is strictly to better the airplane (specifically mine) while FAT's interest is to add a new product to their business. I'm not getting compensated for "advertising" but do it because the STC will only be applied for if there is encough interest to make it pay for it's self. In the mean time my airplane will be under an experimental "market survey" certificate until either I get a one time STC or the final STC is approved.
So here is where the project currently stands. The plane has been ground run and was able to produce over 30" MAP even though the field elevation was 6,000' (Denver, Co area). A newer pulley has since been installed which should provide even more boost. The design goal is to achieve sea level power upto between 7 & 9,000'.
The joke is, even though they use the letters FAT it can be said that this installation is anything but fat. So far it only weights 18.4 lbs and is expected to grow less than 1 lb by the time it is all finished. That means that those of you with the 20 lbs of ballast should be able to remove the ballast and install the supercharger. Trading dead weight for something really useful.
The supercharger being pulley driven has one failure mode. Which would be the supercharger failing to provide boost because of a broken belt or other event. If this were to happen then the aircraft, so I am told, just reverts to normally aspirated minus about 0.2" MAP.
Management of the boost will be completely the pilot's responsibility. With this system the pilot must push in the throttle so that the MAP reads a no more than a maximum allowed value. I don't yet know what that limit is. Should be someplace between 29 & 30". What ever was used when the engine was certified to 180hp.
The FAA is scheduled to sign off the paperwork on Tuesday 22 MAR 11. Then it will be ready for the first flight tests. I will post flight data on currusreports and make it public once FAT gets the file to me.
The installation requires a bump in the cowl. You can see attached photos of the work being done on the cowl and a very early mock-up of the installation (which has since changed considerably) to give you an idea of what is being done.