Combustion pressure and the future of the aero engine.

By Marc Cook

A high-performance, turbocharged aircraft engine can see peak combustion pressures of 1000 psi. Think about that after you’ve calculated the surface area of the cylinder head. Yikes. Similar pressures, though more conceptual than actual, are at work in the aero-engine industry today. Change, as they say, is afoot.

In 2009, Lycoming’s general manager, Ian Walsh, was promoted up the ranks and his spot filled by Mike Kraft, an engineer by trade. I spoke with Kraft at Oshkosh 2008 in his engineering role as the company introduced the IE2 package and showed a ready-made version of the TIO-360 engine for Experimentals. He struck me as the sharp, calm type, quite a contrast to Walsh’s sharp, aggressive approach. More recently, I had a chance to catch up with Kraft several months into his tenure as Lycoming’s GM and found his demeanor much the same, despite what can only be described as difficult times…

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