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Colemill Enterprises, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, has announced that it has added turbocharged Cessna 310 P, Q and R models to the list of aircraft for which the world’s largest aircraft modification company offers conversions.
While other Colemill conversions are engineered to offer enhanced performance and safety, this new modification --- called the Bearcat II --- is designed to eliminate troublesome Airworthiness Directives related to the exhaust systems on these airplanes.
An STC recently granted to Colemill by the Federal Aviation Administration permits the company to replace the turbocharged engines with normally aspirated Continental IO-550 300 h.p. engines. These are the engines Colemill has used for a number of years in several other modifications. Time has proven them to be well constructed and extremely reliable. The IO-550 has a heavy duty case and additional cylinder hold-downs for extra strength and resistance to cracking.
In addition to the IO-550 engines, the Bearcat II conversion also includes new throttle and mixture cables, and a Shadin Digiflow fuel computer. Each conversion also receives all new accessory parts such as starters, alternators, magnetos, Lord mounts, hoses, and belts.
In addition to eliminating the exhaust system problems, the Bearcat II offers other advantages as well. TBO on the IO-550 engines is 1700 hours compared to 1400 hours on the old engines. The gross weight of the airplanes remain the same but the useful load is increased by the modification.
Cruise speed is approximately 200 knots, using the existing propellers and governors.
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