Cessna 206 enhanced performance mod question

[goobersnuftda 0]

We have our 206 up and running doing student loads (LSTC for extra seatbelt, jump step, door mod) and we are looking for the best bang for the buck in upgrades as we can afford them in the down season over the winter months (we live where it snows for 5 months).

What is the best performance for $$$ laid out. STOL kit already installed. Engine only has 850 hours on it (IO-520) so it is a long time from an overhaul to a IO-550 (+25 more horse power). In which order would you do things as the money becomes available:

-Wing tip extensions. X-Wing has sold their business to Wipaire. Since the 206 is a “beefier” aircraft, it is cheaper to install the extensions than for a 182 (which needs extra bracing that the 206 already has built into the wing). $4,515 for parts only or $6,900 installed. 18 inches of extra wing tip with a total increase being 3 feet.

WipAire

-A longer propeller (even by a few inches) to the max rated for the IO-520 engine. Preferred Air Parts has some OHC props in the $4,500 range. Our current 2 blade prop is basically new since it has been certified and has about 25 hours on the prop so it could still be sold for a good price if we were to buy another. Not interested in the 2 vs 3 blade debate because that went nowhere. So would a 2 blade Hartzell or McCauley be the way to go?

Preferred Airparts

-I know when it is engine overhaul time that going to the more powerful IO-550 engine is the way to go but there is significant time still left on our engine and it would be a complete shame to tear it down with so many useable hours still left on it. Just for some fun reading, here is a full story of the adventures of a person who upgraded to a IO-550

Upgrading to a IO-550 Engine

I’ve also found a system of tuning your exhaust that gives your engine the increase in performance. Down side is that they don’t have any for a 206 but they do for other planes including some Cessna’s. Power Flow Systems Inc.

Powerflow Exhaust

I’m open to any ideas as to how to make this plane perform better and achieve the best possible climb rate. It would be nice if money was not an issue but lets get real, we are a business and need to spend wisely and properly.

Any comments or suggests are welcome.

[Beerlight 0]

You may see if Mike Mullins (on here MikeMullins) can give some guidance. The guy has owned or flown about everything out there.

Hope you get what you need, sounds like you have a great plan and plane in the making.....

[davelepka 4]

Are you guys running that plane non-stop from sunrise to sunset? If not, making it faster isn't going to do anything but waste money on airplane upgrades. Making your operation more efficient in terms of manifesting and keeping the prop turning will net you more slots per day for free.

Look at it this way, if you can hop-up the plane to knock five minutes off of a turn around time, that's great. Now, if the plane sits on the ground for 20 minutes, all the money you spent on the upgrades is lost for the next four loads.

All that aside, keep your eye on the market for mid-time -520 and -550 engines. I know of a DZO who stumbled upon a great deal on a -550, and managed to sell his -520 for equal money. All he paid for was the labor to swap engines.

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

Are you guys running that plane non-stop from sunrise to sunset? If not, making it faster isn't going to do anything but waste money on airplane upgrades. Making your operation more efficient in terms of manifesting and keeping the prop turning will net you more slots per day for free.

If the DZ is running a 206 non-stop except to fuel from sunup to sundown, then the DZ would probably find a long term cost benefit in buying a C182. High performance piston jump planes are neat, but are simply not long term cost effective!

Instead of Mullins, I'd contact Forrest McBride. He is pretty much the authority when it comes to extreme high performance piston jump planes.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[vpjr 1]

Graphic engine monitor with fuel flow. The engine monitor will alow them to run best power or just enough rich of best power to keep the engine cool and climbing. The pilots will learn how to fly with out too much extra fuel. The 206 with 40 gals a side can hide a lot of fuel.

[captain1976 0]

The STOL kit is fine to get it off the ground faster and shorten your ground run, but if runway length or obstacles aren't a problem, save your money.

X-Wing is fine but only for the increased useful load if you need it, but it takes a lot of loads to recover from the outlay and a shitload if you decide on a different engine which is really expensive.

The most efficient prop is the 2 blade 88" seaplane prop but you may need to keep the nose strut inflated with a little more nitrous for ground clearance. This will give you the best climb performance.

I think if you do the math, the only thing that will make sense is the prop. With 850 hrs you do have a ways to go but the I0-520 will probably need a cylinder or 2 before it gets to TBO.

Don't EVER get sold on a top overhaul. I have never seen 6 cylinders go at once and most tops are needless. Mechanics like to recommend them when a jug or 2 gets low since they make a lot more when they do 6.

Additionally, there is nothing wrong with 60 lbs either unless specific leakage is detected. And even with leakage there are a few techniques to get it back that Continental provides in the service manual.

The manufacturers design team pretty much made these planes as efficient as possible. There are a shitload of mods out there but none really do all that much. Saving money is making money.

Good Luck

You live more in the few minutes of skydiving than many people live in their lifetime

[vpjr 1]

The 206 doesnt get a gross increase off of the wing x. It will increase performance takeoff performance, climb performance, reduce landing speeds. (Sportsman Stol + wing x is the favored 206 float plane wing mod) Sportsman Stol will do the same but alow the pilot a wider L/D curve giving a more usefull best rate of climb speed range. "makes a 500 hour pilot look like a 1200 hour pilot". 150ft per min ROC increase after takeoff or to 8 grand doesnt make sense for the money but if your only getting 200fpm above 10K that 100fpm makes all the difference in the world for the pilot to hit target alt at exit point. Reduces the number of 360s at alt) When the engine quits at 500ft with a full load the Sportsman and wing x could be priceless. Now the 550 w 82inch Super Simitar, roller rockers, Gammied fuel injection, Leading edge exhaust, light weight alt, cost more than my first house. Since my wife and I fly my 206s we love the extra performance. Only some days it is really nessesary. One of our 206s has 14,000 hours flying skydivers in the Mojave desert so shaving of a couple of minutes per load realy adds up. Most 206s dont climb because its a larger wide body 182 with a few more ponys from the same powerplant. It takes a lot of time and money to make them climb.

[captain1976 0]

Quote

The 206 doesnt get a gross increase off of the wing x. It will increase performance takeoff performance, climb performance, reduce landing speeds.

Thanks for the info, I stand corrected, The Cessna 206 installation does not offer a Gross weight increase like the other models where it does.

You live more in the few minutes of skydiving than many people live in their lifetime

[vpjr 1]

Gross weight increase in an underpowered 206 would just slow you down. I can W&B 6 jumpers and pilot with 3 loads of fuel + reserve. Not much room left so She better be a cute little girl if you were going to try and add more in the cabin.

[goobersnuftda 0]

Thank you everyone for your information on this topic. It is helpful but I think I should give more of an explanation.

Here in Canada, our commercial inspection periods for our Cessna is every 50 hours. After buying this plane from the US last year and having a crash course of how VASTLY different the FAA is as compared to Transport Canada, I can tell you for a certainty that it is much more expensive to maintain aircraft up here for commercial purposes. Inspection times and maintenance schedules are not even comparable as to the US. We operate under the same rules as if we were Air Canada or West Jet. Commercial aviation is commercial aviation where people/passengers are involved.

Example. The prop had 451 hours on it since new. It flew from California to Canada and once it crossed the border and landed for its very first time at our AME/AMO, the plane was done flying for a long while. Regardless of the hours since new, Transport Canada commercial rules are a 10 year limit on the prop regardless of how few hours may actually be on it. This one had 12 years and hence, the prop was done. Keep things like this in mind when you continue to read as COST/OPERATING HOUR is the #1 factor. We have a 182 (x-wing, stol, bigger prop, larger engine) for the high loads and tandems. The 206 is our IAD student semi hauler. Lots of capacity but lower loads. It will not fly all day but it sure as heck empties the students by noon where the 182 took all day.

Schedule:

50 hours –oil change
100 hours – oil change and inspection
150 hours – oil change
200 hours – oil change and huge, major 200 hour inspection. Inspection like take things apart and inspect everything. These inspections are always major bills on labour let alone what needs to be replaced.

That being said, I do take as a valid point the suggestion that savings 5 minutes on a load and having the plane sit for 20 minutes parked during the day may not be a big savings as the clock ticks on the wall, it sure is a HUGE thing for us. It absolutely comes down to COST PER OPERATING HOUR. We want to make as much $$$ per hour as possible before the next mandated inspection.

Our fixed costs such as our insurance for the year doesn’t matter how many hours it flies. Every hour we fly we factor in the engine replacement fund ( $$$ saved for 8 years from now ) and inspection invoices. If we can save 5 minutes off each load and over the next 20 loads regardless of whether it is all in the same day or done over the next 3 days, that is a whole extra hour of saved flight time for us. One extra flight hour means roughly 2.5 loads of IAD dispatches. 13 extra dispatches (LSTC for 6 seatbelts and the pilot) @ $230 ea. means we got an extra $2,990 in revenue because the plane flew more first jump students in the same amount of time.



Wow, what a lot of yapping hey :) So it looks like on the standard stock IO-520 engine (850hrs on it only) would do much better with the 2 blade 88" seaplane prop. We operate at a completely paved airport but there is always the possibility of giving hair cuts to gophers with the extra blade length :) The next thing would be the extra 3 feet of wing for lift.

If skydiving wasn’t so much fun, I wouldn’t do all this other stuff. The best way to kill something you love…. make it your business :)