TCM
celebrates 100th anniversary at AirVenture
By Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside
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Teledyne Continental
Motors President Bryan Lewis kicked off his company’s 100th
anniversary celebration Monday at AeroShell Square. Photo by
Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside |
It’s been 100 years
since Continental Motors—now Teledyne Continental Motors, or TCM—built
its first engine. That powerplant was an automobile engine built for
1905-1906-era autos. By 1916, the company had manufactured more than
150,000 engines but didn’t break into the aviation market until 1927.
That engine, a nine-cylinder radial that came to be known as the A-70,
powered new aircraft of the time. Since then, Continental engines have
been aboard some of the industry’s best-known airplanes, including the
Piper Cub and Malibu, almost all of Cessna’s earlier piston-powered
singles and twins, the Beechcraft (now Raytheon) Bonanza, Debonair and
Baron series, and a host of other brands, including Mooney and Cirrus.
The company’s 100th
anniversary was recognized Monday morning with a ceremony on AeroShell
Square as EAA AirVenture Oshkosh got underway. Introduced by EAA
President Tom Poberezny and surrounded by a wide sampling of aircraft—new
and historical—powered by one of his company’s engines, Teledyne
Continental Motors President Bryan Lewis took the opportunity to thank
Poberezny for the support of EAA and its members over the years.
In looking forward to the
company’s next 100 years, Lewis noted that, "The first
advertisement under the Continental banner 100 years ago was a focused
value statement that continues to drive us today: Continental Means
Quality. We believe our balanced investments over the last decade in
manufacturing, quality, service, and technology will facilitate advances
in light aviation powerplants, maintenance, and support similar to the
introduction of glass panel technologies over recent years."
Currently, TCM
manufactures some 3,000 engines each year in its Mobile, Alabama,
factory. Its aircraft engines range in power from 100 to 350-hp, and the
company offers several models with a complete full-authority digital
engine control system, or FADEC. The company also unveiled its new Alpha
System branded aircraft ignition components, which are already showing
up on its latest generation magnetos.
In addition to the
celebration at this year’s AirVenture, TCM will hold commemorative
events throughout the year, culminating in a company open house for
current and retired employees at its Mobile facility on October 14,
2006. The company is inviting pilots flying vintage and historical
aircraft powered by Continental engines to participate in a limited
fly-in to that event. For more information, visit www.tcmlink.com/100birthday.
Visitors at this year’s AirVenture can
learn more about TCM, its engines and its various aviation services by
visiting the company’s exhibit area, located between Hangars C and D.
