What you need to know before you fly the EcoFlyer!                       What you need to know before you fly the EcoFlyer! Welcome to the world of Diesel aviation To make things easier, what is necessary to know about DR 400/135 CDI before flying. This document is not an official document. It is only a help which does not exempt you from reading the flight manual and taking it with you. General: The engine is a Diesel and works either with Diesel oil or with Jet A1. Fuels can be mixed in any proportion. If there is more than 10 % of diesel oil in the fuel tank, you need to apply the most restrictive limitations of temperature, that is, the ones of diesel fuel. The powerplant (engine + reducer + constant speed propeller) is automatically managed by two redundant computers ( FADEC). The FADEC A is the one that normally manages, B being able to relieve immediately and automatically, in case FADEC A fails. In case of failure of the automatic switching device, it is possible to manually force the change over from A to B by pulling the FORCE B switch. Every FADEC has its own sensors. Engine control: A single instrument is enough to monitor the engine. It is the CED. Its parameters (P and T ° of engine oil, T ° of liquid, cooling and oil of the reducer) are displayed by orange, green and red LEDs. Just stay in the green area. On this instrument we also find the only parameters to control the engine: at the top, the propeller rpm, below, the percentage of engine power, required by the pilot. Three red warning lamps are located on the upper instrument panel. The most to the left lamp comes on every time any LED of the CED becomes red. Reset immediately to allow to be informed about another possible failure. The two other warning lamps relate to each of the FADEC. They only light on in case of failure of one of them or during the test. Principle of operation of the powerplant control system: The pilot operates the single lever to set a percentage of engine power on the ground or in flight. The FADEC determines the rpm which will be optimal and as it increases the power by adjusting the parameters of the engine (advance and flow of the injection, the pressure of turbo, the amount of the injection), it varies the propeller pitch to obtain this rpm. At any time the powerplant is thus optimized as of rpm, pitch and mixture without any intervention of the pilot, other than to order the desired power. The pilot cannot control any parameter by himself, he can only modify the speed of the plane with the stick and the engine power with the thrust lever. Use (what is different with regard to the DR 400 Lycoming): - Pre-flight inspection As usual, plus checking of the oil level of the gear box (as a rule, no oil required between the oil change, check on the ground for leakage). - Start Checks by following T scheme (flaps retracted, trim on takeoff position, park brakes on) Check fuel cock always opened (to avoid a dry starting up which could damage the injection pump) Thrust lever on idle (do not touch during the start procedure) Battery on Check of the various warning lamps Electric pump, only if the plane come off the maintenance shop (in case it would not have been filled up after an intervention on the fuel circuit) Engine master on (supplies power to the FADEC which activates glow) When the glow lamp switches off, activate the starter with the key until starting up which is steady (do not change the thrust lever which stays on idle). Let the FADEC do all adjustments (If the key is released before the actual starting up, as on a car, turn back the key to stop position and start again). - After engine start Make sure the engine oil pressure is in the green area on the CED, if not, shut-down the engine Reset the warning lamp using the CED test button (There is always a warning at every starting up due to detection of absence of the oil, air and fuel pressures at the beginning of the starting sequence). Switch on the avionic switch If the engine is cold, wait for 2 minutes in idle with the cabin/heat lever pulled (it shuts off the air duct towards the outside on the heater radiator which is not managed by the calorstat. This allows the engine to warm up much more quickly. In winter, keep the lever pulled constantly). - Taxiing RPM as needed, no limitation to idle position, if possible avoid to exceed 1400 rpm as long as the engine is still in the orange temperature range. - Before takeoff Test of both FADEC. It is enough to put the thrust lever on the idle stop and hold the FADEC test button. All the tests are automatically made. Stop pressing on the button when the engine is again in idle, the test is over and there should not be any red warning lamp on, otherwise no takeoff allowed (on an outside field, in case of red warning lamp, take the flight manual and make the tests required. In some cases you may take off). If the test button is released before the end of the test, the FADEC makes immediately a reset and you can start another test. - Takeoff Everything in the green ranges , no red warning lamp Electric pump ON Thrust lever full forward, hold brakes (if the runway allows it otherwise let run and watch the parameters and the warning lamps) Check minimum 93 % and 2200 rpm Release brakes - In flight The engine manufacturer gives no limitation of use whatever be the used rpm. The recommended cruising speed is 72 % which facilitates the calculations because the corresponding fuel consumption is 20 liters an hour independently of the height. Watch that the parameters stay in the green ranges. If a problem arises, refer to the flight manual. - Landing Electric pump ON Engine as needed - After landing Switch off the electric pump - Engine shut-down Thrust lever on idle (wait for the cooling of the turbo according to the regime used during taxiing) Switch off: avionics (one switch only) engine master (engine stops) battery Remove the key (which cannot allow an unwanted start-up even in staying in position ON) For those who like figures and\or who want to simplify the flight workload Calculation of the performance: For the whole flight, take the fuel consumption rate in cruise. The climb and the descent balance each other. At recommended power setting = 72 %: - Invariable consumption = 20 l / hour - Cruising speed = 110 kt at sea level, 120 kt at FL 100. Example: you fly at FL 60, airspeed is 116 kt (from 110 kt at sea level, add 1 kt per 1000 ft) - Cruise endurance = 5 hours at 72 % plus ½ hour safety at 65 % - Range at 72 %: 5 hours at 110 kt = 550 Nm at sea level 5 hours at 120 kt = 600 Nm at FL 100 ( From 550 Nm at sea level, add 5 Nm per 1000 ft) At various engine powers settings: - Effect on the airspeed If the power is increased by 1 %, increase the airspeed by 1 kt (ex: at 75 % and FL 70, airspeed = 120 kt) If the power is decreased by 1 %, decrease the airspeed by 1 kt (ex: at 65 % and FL 70 airspeed = 110 kt) - Effect on the consumption If the power is increased by 3 %, the consumption is increased by 1 l/h (ex: at 75 % = 21 l/h) If the power is decreased by 3 %, the consumption is decreased by 1 l/h (ex: at 66 % = 18 l/h) For those who want to know what abbreviations means: FADEC: Full Authority Digital Engine Control CED: Compact Engine Display LED: Light Emitting Diode