Dwayne Brown

Headquarters, Washington, DC December 16, 1996

(Phone: 202/358-1726)

Lori Rachul
Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH
(Phone: 216/433-8806)

RELEASE: 96-258

NASA SIGNS AGREEMENTS FOR FUTURE GENERAL AVIATION ENGINES

NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin today confirmed the

Agency's commitment to the renaissance of U.S. general
aviation with the signing of Notices of Agreement for two new
revolutionary engines that will make future light aircraft
safer, smoother, quieter and more affordable.

The engines are being developed under the Agency's

General Aviation Propulsion (GAP) program that is promoting
U.S. economic growth by uniting propulsion, airframe
manufacturers and other industries with government to develop
and demonstrate new general aviation propulsion systems.

Goldin introduced the two company-led project teams of

Williams International Co. of Walled Lake, MI, and Teledyne
Continental Motors (TCM) of Mobile, AL, that were chosen to
develop revolutionary technologies for a turbine and
intermittent combustion engine, respectively.

Modern turbine engine reliability and smoothness

contribute to aircraft safety. High acquisition costs have
been a major factor hindering their application in the light
aircraft market. Designing a simpler engine with fewer
parts, automated manufacturing methods and common engine
components across a wide spectrum of applications will help
to lower costs, making them affordable for the first time to
the light aircraft pilot.

"With these agreements, NASA is planting the seed corn

for a revitalization of U.S. competitiveness in the general
aviation market worldwide. We want to develop engines that
are reliable and affordable -- engines that will set a new
standard for general aviation and restore the U.S. to
prominence in this thriving industry around the world,"
Goldin said.

"NASA is at the forefront of developing new and improved

aviation technology to carry the U.S. into the next century.
The signing today is another in a series of historic
milestones for NASA aeronautics and the U.S. aviation
industry," said Associate Administrator for Aeronautics
Robert Whitehead.

"Signing these agreements today places NASA in the

forefront of revitalizing general aviation while making the
Lewis Research Center a vital partner with industry in
retrieving the nation's market share in small engines," said
Donald J. Campbell, Director of NASA's Lewis Research Center,
Cleveland, OH.

NASA selected the Williams International team for the

development of the turbine engine portion of the GAP program.
Under the four-year cooperative agreement, signed on December
2, the company will develop and flight-demonstrate
breakthrough, low-cost, turbine-engine propulsion systems to
be used for light, general aviation aircraft with six seats
or less and cruising airspeeds greater than 200 knots.

Williams International plans to continue technology

development and research on its new FJX-2 Turbofan engine
under the GAP Cooperative Agreement.

The TCM team was selected for negotiation for the

development of an intermittent combustion (IC) engine under
the GAP program. Under the proposed three-year agreement,
TCM will develop and flight-demonstrate an affordable,
lightweight, innovative IC propulsion system. The IC
concepts are for entry-level general aviation aircraft with
single engines, four seats, and cruising speeds of less than
200 knots.

The major goal of the TCM agreement is to develop

technologies and manufacturing processes that reduce engine
prices by one-half while substantially improving reliability
and maintainability, as well as meeting future emission and
noise requirements. The engines will be significantly more
user-friendly and feature simpler controls, start more easily
in cold weather, and reduce cockpit noise and vibration.
 TCM plans to develop a two-cycle, direct-injected,
compression-ignition piston engine that uses Jet A fuel. The
engine will be designated as the Continental Supercharged
Diesel 283. The innovative design configuration, coupled
with modern system integration by engine, airframe, and
propeller team members, will create an advanced general
aviation propulsion system.

"These low-cost and easy-to-operate engines being

developed under the GAP program will make flying affordable
again, while providing the comfort of commercial passenger
aircraft," said Leo Burkardt, GAP program manager at Lewis.

Other vital areas such as cockpit and airframe

technologies also are being developed by the
NASA/FAA/Industry Advanced General Aviation Transport
Experiments (AGATE) Consortium. GAP will work with AGATE in
promoting U.S. economic growth by supporting the
revitalization of the general aviation industry.

-end-