Why would a pilot or aircraft owner be required to undergo a Fadectomy? If you are reading these lines, it means you are interested in the Liberty XL aircraft. You are either a pilot who would love to fly regularly on this sleek two-seater or a Liberty operator/owner.
In both cases, you love the airplane but could do without the maintenance nightmare caused by the Full Authority Digital Engine Control System installed on it.
As the PowerLink(™) FADEC installed on the Continental AeroSpace Technologies IOF-240-B engine was certified in the mid-nineties, it is not surprising that its components are difficult to find. Sometimes, it is possible to procure the needed parts, but this becomes increasingly rare as stocks are now depleted, both at Continental and at the original component manufacturers. This leads to many situations where the aircraft is in perfect shape but can not fly due to a faulty FADEC. And there are no quick and easy fixes for these situations.
The founder of George Aviation, Neal George (A&P/IA), decided to remedy this situation after a long career in the service (Air Force).
Finally, a solution…
After a request by a flying school with a small fleet of Liberty XL aircraft operated in the USA and Switzerland, Neal took the Bull by the horns. He started creating an STC to remove the unmaintainable FADEC system, reinstall a conventional fuel injection system and a proven ignition system, and modify the airframe to integrate the modifications as if they had been done when initially building the aircraft.
The STC will allow modification of an IOF-240-B5B-equipped Liberty / Discovery Aviation XL-2 tourer and trainer aircraft to free it from dependency on the Continental Aerospace Technologies deprecated PowerLink FADEC system. The Fadectomy is the only way to allow your Liberty XL-2 to be reborn and become a fully reliable and trusted aircraft again.
After over a year of engineering work, the XL2neo took its first flight on March 15th, 2024. Flight testing is currently underway under an experimental / market survey airworthiness certificate. The flight test program aims to generate the data necessary for final STC approval. No release date or pricing is announced at this time. However, all efforts are being made to limit the cost of the STC and necessary components to a strict minimum.
Main benefits:
- The installed engine’s remaining potential is retained up to the original TBO, so there is no need to change the installed engine.
- No more unscheduled indefinite groundings.
- No more mad chase for unobtainable FADEC spare parts.
- With a reliable dispatch rate, instruction at a low cost becomes possible again.
Replacement of all FADEC components with:
- A traditional ignition system (magnetos and harness),
- A proven and trusted Injection fuel system ( Fuel injection system, Fuel injectors, mixture lever, engine instrumentation),
- A new engine mount to create space for magneto installation.
