We’re on the ground at Oshkosh, and it’s a fascinating show so far, and I’m not being clever. There’s a ton of news, lots of customers in the exhibition halls, and the tie-down areas are filling up with row upon row of gorgeous GA airplanes.
We’re also witnessing a transformation within the aviation industry, one that the movers and shakers are for the most part not even aware of themselves. Even so, they are a part of a larger movement within aviation that is very encouraging.
Here’s what it is.
Elizabeth Kübler-Ross is famous for developing a description of the process people go through when they suffer loss — she focused on death and dying. Aviation’s issues are serious, but happily not terminal. In the best case scenario, and I think we might be witnessing that, the collective struggles we have been facing will lead to a better aviation world for us all.
Here’s how.
On Monday Cessna announced a diesel powered 182. Read Steve Pope’s story on the airplane here. The new 182 is an answer to the shortcomings of the current Skylane. The new model uses Jet A instead of expensive and difficult to obtain in many places 100LL. The new model improves the fuel efficiency of the airplane’s power plant by up to 30 percent, which is an efficiency improvement that would be simply unobtainable by tweaking existing gas piston engines. The efficiency boost gives the new 182 a range of almost 1200 nautical miles at a cruise speed of better than 150 knots with typical Skylane payload and comfort. This is cool stuff.
The 182 story is just one of many we’ve already heard here, and they all have a common theme. Companies are looking at what they do with a critical eye and making themselves better. Cessna with new airplanes. Garmin with cool new ADS-B capabilities. Dynon with innovative new handheld products. It’s all about smart companies innovating during a downturn and changing the way they do business and the way they see the aviation world.
In Kübler-Ross’s stages model, the whole thing starts with denial: “The economic downturn can not be happening to us.” Then comes anger: “Darn those politicians for how much they’re screwing up the economy!” Then we see bargaining. “If we cut this program and downsize that one, then maybe everything will be okay.” Then comes depression. Luckily, we haven’t seen much of this, where companies just give up hope and stop trying hard.
Kübler-Ross saw the last stage as acceptance. For the smart, agile companies here at Oshkosh, acceptance means acceptance of responsibility for making their products better at doing what they do, better values to the customer, by offering them at better prices with more capability and new features. In aviation, this last stage is a sure sign of neither death nor dying but of long-term survival.
View our AirVenture 2012: Opening Day photo gallery here.
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The "Kubler Ross" idea has to be the stupidest premise I've ever seen out of a FLYING writer. I like you Goyer, but sometimes you are such a dork.
Kudos to SMA and Cessna for the new turbo diesel-powered 182, and the significant improvements to the Grand Caravan. Good to see some real innovation coming out of Wichita. Cessna's recent developments demonstrate the airframe manufacturer has seen the writing on the wall and for all intents and purposes has abandoned 100LL engines. It is about time, given the EPA ban on leaded gas since the 1970s.
One wonders if/when SMA will consider branching out and building two and six cylinder versions of this engine. T. A lower displacement option, de-rated for 150-180 applications, seems a sensible variant with a massive target market.
One wonders how well the new Turbo Skylane will accelerate on the runway with a 2200 RPM limit. At least the airport noise whiners will have less to bitch about.
Perhaps SMA will be in the future what Lycoming and Continental are no more: well funded, innovative and aggressively marketing new powerplants, without massive a liability tail deterring future innovation. It would seem that is what aviation needs in a macro sense: airframe, propellor, powerplant and avionics manufacturers with big parent companies (read deep pockets) able to bring AFFORDABLY-PRICED products to market that fit the publics' ability to buy them. Let us hope so.
God knows fewer and fewer of us can buy one right now, even if the economy didn't suck.
Nice try but at half a million bucks it is still a Cessna 182 and very few people will drop that much on a single engine plane. No matter the difficulty of obtaining 100LL gas, it is a lot cheaper than the diesel version. Now if you really want speed and comfort including a potty and long range, and a reasonable price, man, there is plenty of 1980-90 Beech C-90s in top shape selling for .50 to 1.25 million. Yeah, direct and indirect operating costs are twice as much but no comparison.
Why oh why don't they develop a big bore. low compression "world" engine that'll burn the fuel that's available world-wide - autogas.
Maybe the Chinese will do what we can't seem to be able to do here in the U.S.
They sure don't have 100ll in China.
The Dinosaurs will ride those 550s & 520s right into extinction
