N4468N is a 1980 Cessna 182 Skylane owned and operated by PFC since 1996. Beginning July 2017, the aircraft was returned from operating an SMA diesel powerplant to avgas with an O-470-U. A JPI EDM 930 engine monitor was added during the conversion.
In 2014, the club completely refurbished the interior of the aircraft, and upgraded the avionics to include an Aspen Evolution 2000 PFD&MFD and STEC 55X autopilot.
- Continental O-470-U
- Hartzell 3 Blade Prop
- Aspen Evolution 2000 PFD & MFD
- Aspen EWR50 Datalink for XM Weather
- Garmin GNS-430W IFR-Approved GPS with WAAS
- STEC 55X Autopilot with Auto Trim
- Garmin GTX330ES Mode-S Transponder with Extended Squitter (ADS-B Out)
- JPI EDM 930 Engine Monitor
- PS Engineering PMA8000BT Bluetooth Enabled Audio Panel
- Bendix/King KX155 TSO Nav-Com
- ACK E-04 406MHz ELT
- Davtron M800 Digital Chronometer
- All new interior (2014)
History of N4468N with the SMA 305-230 diesel conversion
- In 2009, the aircraft was converted to a Jet-A fueled FADEC controlled SMA “Diesel” engine.
- The SR305-230-1 is simple to operate with a single throttle lever to set the power.
- During cruise the throttle can be left at max position. There is no requirement to reduce power to 75% or lean out the mixture.
- Members can quickly transition from a 172 with no constant speed prop or mixture controls to operate.
- The club operated the SR305-230-1 for 8 years with no major maintenance issues.
- Owning and operating the SR305-230-1 offers savings to the club over a traditional O-470-U engine equipped 182.
The aircraft sips fuel, consuming just 7.5 gallons-per-hour at cruise, and boasts a phenomenal 1,100 nm range with reserves. This aircraft was featured on Avweb Video and Aviation Consumer Magazine.
Coast to Coast and Fuel Efficiency World Record Biofuel Airplane Projects
In April 2016, member Ross McCurdy, a science teacher in Ponaganset High School in Rhode Island, flew N4468N 2,500 miles from Rhode Island to California powered by a 50/50 blend of Jet-A and aviation biofuel. This was the first transcontinental flight using aviation biofuel in a certified light aircraft.
On July 12, 2016, Ross McCurdy and Thierry Saint Loup, an executive with SMA Engines in Texas, took off from Caldwell New Jersey and completed an 848-mile triangular course in just over nine hours using just 56 gallons of fuel. The plane used a 50-50 mix of jet aviation fuel and aviation biofuel derived from Camelina plant seeds. During the trip, the plane traveled from Caldwell, N.J., to Buffalo, N.Y., then to Portland, Maine, and back to Caldwell.
FAI Ratified Fuel Efficiency Record
The trip resulted in a fuel efficiency of 15.1 nautical miles per gallon, establishing a world record in its class to be sanctioned by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale.
Credit to The Sun Chronicle – Ex-Attleboro pilot completes record setting fuel efficiency flight
Ross McCurdy made an earlier biofuel powered flight in 2013 to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Please visit bioplane.us for more information about these exciting events.