Power Flow Systems Pilot Empowerer - LEES Edition
 More Power For Your Plane = More Fun Flying For You
First of all, please accept my apologies for the gap in these newsletters. An ill-timed vacation, together with the recent release of Aviation101's YouTube video about Power Flow’s products has resulted in an avalanche of activity that I am just starting to dig my way out of!

If you haven't seen it yet, you can check that video out at: 


The Good News is that the past several weeks have been very productive at Power Flow where we have been test fitting several different engine and airframe configurations as we ramp-up production and deliveries of the PMCF.

Note: Our STC covers the original engine configuration (typically an O-470 for C180/182 or IO-520 for the 185). If your aircraft has an STC’d engine upgrade (O- or I/O 470, 520 or 550), then it is up to the installer (the IA signing off the installation) to determine if there are any conflicts. We are not aware of any incompatibilities between the Power Flow exhaust and any engine configurations other than potential fit conflicts which we are addressing and resolving as they arise.

As a result of these efforts, the following engine/airframe combinations have now been cleared for release and shipment:  

Cleared - C180 - Original engine mount, engines up to O-520.  

Cleared - C182 original engine mounts with cabin heat cold air source in the front right forward baffle - standard for 1970 and later aircraft. Aircraft that do not have the cold air source in the front right will need to convert to that version. We've heard from several people that removing the cabin heat source from the right rear baffle will actually make their maintenance easier. Approval for this change will be included in our next version of our approved installation instructions.

Cleared - C182 with “speed cowl” or Knots2u fairing along the middle of the cowling to provide a fairing around the nose strut. (Requires our 2 piece tailpipe)

Cleared - C182 with Seaplanes West engine mounts. Seaplanes West aircraft receive a longer anti-rotation tube that mounts on the left side instead of the right side headers.
  LEES installed with Seaplanes West Engine Mount from Acorn Welding (picture above)
LEES Anti-rotation Device installed on left side of engine w/ Seaplanes West engine mount. (picture above).
Cleared - C185 with both the original engine mount and the Seaplanes West engine mount with either the IO-520 or the IO-550 engine.

Cleared - C182 with carbureted and fuel injected engines up through IO550. We have successfully completed a test fit on an IO-550 Air Plains conversion and a Seaplanes West Mount and discovered that it still requires a “carb heat” even though it is fuel injected. For aircraft with fuel injected engines, we will ask if your current configuration requires heated alternate air and if so, will include that with your exhaust system order.   

Almost cleared - C182 with Kenai / King Katmai conversion: We are working with a customer who has been waiting for over 5 years for this configuration and believe we have a solution.

Situations like this are the primary reason we have made it our standard practice to complete at least one installation of each airframe / engine combination before we release a given configuration for shipment and installation in the field. When you receive your kit from us, we want it to be as complete and the installation as trouble-free as we can make it.

To hear all this worked out in the unexpurgated opinion of one of our first customers for a PMCF installed by Power Flow at KDAB, grab some popcorn and enjoy the full, unedited interview we conducted with Mr. Greg Wright at Sun-N-Fun this Spring:


We have not yet had the opportunity to test fit the following configurations in our shop. So, these combinations have not yet been cleared for shipment and installation in the field:

Not yet Cleared - C180 with Seaplane West Engine mount - we need to see an aircraft due to potential fit conflict on the Right-hand side with the engine mount.

If you have a C180/C182/C185, and would like to get your system as soon as possible, you can help us expedite the process by completing the following pre-installation questionnaire that was just updated with additional configuration questions in May. (unless you have already returned the form to us, in which case: Thank You!):


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Now available as an option for C180-185 PMCF orders - Power Flow's FAA Approved Ceramic coating to keep the tailpipes looking silver. Our standard tailpipe finish is polished stainless which will turn brown fairly rapidly as part of the normal process of oxidation. We are now offering our FAA approved ceramic coated version of the tailpipes for an additional $400. Please let us know if you would like the ceramic version added to your order so that we can plan accordingly. You can also tell us you want this configuration in our updated questionnaire.
With the bulk of the engineering work for the PMCF systems behind us, we now have more time and resources available to devote to the next priority on our list: the LEES Headers and Collector assembly for the Cessna 200 series airframes.  
First Production Articles For The Cessna 200 Series Systems Midway Through Production Tooling Set-Up.

Given our progress to date and those newly available resources we anticipate shipping the first of these systems to customers in the field by this coming September 30th.

A similar dynamic is currently in play with the third project on our list of priorities: the LEES designs for the O-320 & O-360 powered PA-12, -18, & -20/22 airframes. While the bulk of our attention and efforts are, of necessity, currently focused on the PMCF and 205 - 210 systems, there are still significant amounts of engineering, production, and managerial resources being devoted to the countless tasks required to begin serial production and deliveries of the LEES designs for Piper’s fine products.

Based on the timeline and priorities outlined above, we estimate that all the hurdles will be behind us and shipments to our ever-patient depositors for these systems (as well as the systems for the Pre-1955 Cessna 180 airframes) will begin by the First Quarter of 2022.
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PMA Status:

In the meantime, to support existing LEES Customers with replacement parts, we accelerated our Engineering and FAA time frames and have succeeded in getting Parts Manufacturing Authority for the full line of the Leading Edge exhaust systems. Although we aren’t yet ready to go into full production on all the models yet, this is the last government hurdle to be cleared before production can begin.

This strategy also allows us to gain invaluable experience in the tooling and production set-ups required to reliably and repeatably fabricate individual components and sub-assemblies for each of the different product lines. 

For current as well as future LEES Customers it means you now have a well qualified and reliable source for spare parts for the long serving LEES products.

We have had three Customers with Super Cubs who needed replacement muffler assemblies. We have built our first one and are in the process of building three additional assemblies to help keep the fleet flying.
Outer muffler bodies formed for the PA 12/18 mufflers.
I hope you find this update helpful and I apologize, again, for the gap in communications. We’ll be back with another update (and, hopefully, more Good News) next month.

In the meantime: Blue Skies, Tailwinds, & - 

All The Best!