Teledyne provides 80 hours of on-the-job training for new employees by teaming them with experienced operators.

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Teledyne Continental Motors has been a recognized leader in the development of aviation products for more than 80 years, Vice President of Manufacturing Tom Devall notes.             

Because the company has been around for as long as its customer base, it has been a part of many milestones. “For example, our piston engine leadership stretches from the 1929 introduction of the A-70 radial engine, which established a new level of smoothness and reliability, to the engines for the Voyager aircraft, which successfully circumnavigated the globe without refueling in 1986,” he says.    

“Whenever breakthroughs were made, we were there, from the Piper Cub to the setting of world altitude records for manned piston aircraft.

“We were the first to introduce the horizontally opposed cylinder configuration to help increase aircraft speeds and the first to introduce both fuel injection and turbocharging in general aviation aircraft in the 1960s,” he adds.

“We are innovative partially because we are highly vertically-integrated,” Devall says. “We have full control over the processes which produce our engines and are not solely reliant on the supply chain.”

The company produces 4- and 6-cylinder piston engines, fuel injection and ignition systems. Teledyne machines and heat-treats most steel components to include rocker arms, crankshafts, camshafts, connecting rods, crankcases and cylinders.

Teledyne sells engines and parts – both new and remanufactured – to OEMs and aftermarket sales. “Our international base is growing due to the weak dollar,” he says. “OEMs are shifting their focus overseas. Our largest OEM sells 30 percent of their aircraft internationally.”

Digital Innovation
Devall says Teledyne continues to improve its existing product line and introduce new engines. It has been expanding development and use of a Full Authority Digital Engine Controller (FADEC), the first electronic engine control in the market geared for piston aircraft.    

“FADEC eliminates the need for magnetos, carburetors, as well as the mixture control knob in the cockpit,” he says.    

“FADEC reduces pilot workload in the cockpit, improves fuel economy by up to 15 percent, stores and downloads detailed engine performance data and reduces operating costs while extending aircraft engine life.”

FADEC’s use has grown over the past five years to a milestone of 100 aircraft certified and 13,000 flight hours in the FADEC fleet.

“All of our engines can be outfitted with FADEC,” he says. “Our intent is to achieve full implementation. It’s good for the pilot and something new for general aviation.”

Teledyne has recently turned its innovative prowess towards researching the use of alternative fuels in its line of piston engines, the company says. Currently, piston aviation engines utilize leaded Aviation Gasoline (AVGas) to operate. “We are leading the march in researching solutions for current and future airplane owners to operate on greener unleaded fuels,” Devall says. “We are researching engine designs and component upgrades that, when coupled with our FADEC unit, will enable airplane owners to operate on unleaded fuel.”

Globally, AVGas is becoming increasingly harder to come by. In response to the changing global landscape, Teledyne recently began working on a new engine that will utilize diesel fuel. “Our diesel concept is truly an exciting global offering that will enable the worldwide growth of general aviation,” Devall adds.

“We are planning to spend $4 [million] to $8 million annually for R&D over the next three years,” he notes. “That’s a significant investment for a company with annual sales of $180 million.”