Article Photos

Lycoming Engines' plan to develop a first-of-its-kind airplane engine soon will have the official support of the Lycoming County commissioners.

On Thursday, the commissioners are expected to support the acquisition of a $1.5 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Project grant.

The grant will be used by the company to continue development of a fully integrated electronic airplane engine, Lycoming Engines controller David Dawes told the commissioners Tuesday.

The company has been working on the engine for about two years, Dawes said.

The new technology will allow adjustments to be made to the engine electronically, rather than manually, as they are now, he said.

That will make the engine safer by allowing the pilot to concentrate of flying the aircraft, he said.

It also will make the engine more fuel-efficient by automatically making adjustments as soon as they are needed, he said.

According to Dawes, the automobile industry has been using electronics in car engines for years, while the aircraft industry still is using technology that is decades old.

"Pilots are screaming for this technology," he said.

The company plans to initially use the technology with a six-cylinder twin turbo engine, which is one of the most expensive engines the company builds, Dawes said. The reason for that is the cost increase will be less dramatic with an expensive engine.

As demand grows for the technology and production increases and includes other types of engines, the costs will go down, he said.

Dawes said it will cost about $7.6 million to design the engine and get it ready for Federal Aviation Administration testing. The company already received a $1.5 million state grant for the project.

The company will foot the bill for the remaining $4.6 million in development costs, he said.

Dawes said company officials are optimistic the new engine will drive the company's future growth and create high-paying manufacturing jobs.

The new engine is but one initiative the company implemented since Ian Walsh came on board as general manager several years ago, Dawes said.

Under Walsh's guidance, the company improved in many areas, he said. The company had not turned a profit since 2001, company rank and file had been without a union contract for a decade and morale was low, he said.

Commissioner Ernie Larson said other improvements include a complete modernization of the plant.

Larson said he remembers the old Lycoming Engines plant and has seen a physical transformation there in recent years. Larson said the changes are not apparent from outside the plant, but inside, "it's unbelievable."

"It was an old manufacturing plant brought up to today's standards," Larson said. "If you remember the old plant and go into it now, you can't believe the changes that have taken place."

According to chief county clerk Fred Marty, the county will act as a host for the grant on behalf of the company.

He advised Dawes to meet with county grants administrator Mya Toon to begin working on the grant application.