Engines
Soloy, SMA Unveil Jet-A Powered Cessna Skylane
The conversion will improve fuel economy for the long-serving aircraft.
This Jet-A burning Cessna 182 made its debut at this year's EAA AirVenture. Equipped with a compression ignition engine from Snecma-subsidiary SMA, the aircraft made its nearly 1,500 nm flight to Oshkosh using only 80 gallons of fuel.
This Jet-A burning Cessna 182 made its debut at this year's EAA AirVenture. Equipped with a compression ignition engine from Snecma-subsidiary SMA, the aircraft made its nearly 1,500 nm flight to Oshkosh using only 80 gallons of fuel.

Washington-state aircraft modification specialist Soloy Aviation Solutions and French engine maker Safran’s subsidiary SMA are debuting a jet-A burning Cessna 182 at this year’s EAA AirVenture. According to Soloy, the new, more powerful SMA SR305-230E compression ignition engine package is being tested at its Olympia, Washington facility under EASA regulations. The aircraft flew from there to the show site in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a 1,485 nm flight, and burned only 80 gallons of fuel. That total includes circling the airport in a holding pattern for more than an hour before being given clearance to land. Post-flight inspection revealed that the engine had consumed less than one-quarter of a quart (eight ounces) of oil during the nine-plus hour trip.