Continental Motors Services announced that they are entering a partnership with Texas Skyways to jointly promote and sell the STCs developed by Texas Skyways for the Cessna 180 and 200 series aircraft.

Continental Motors Services will perform the installations of the STCs at its Fairhope, AL, location. This will allow owners and operators to combine the STC installation with additional work such as the addition of a digital engine monitoring system, avionics, ADS-B, interior and panel upgrades. Annuals can be performed at the same time.

“Texas Skyways designed these STCs for Cessna aircraft after identifying the need for pilots/owners and operators for a significant increase in performance,” said Jack Johnson, CEO, Texas Skyways. “Our team selected the engines that would deliver power, reliability, and ease of maintenance. The Continental Motors engines were a logical choice and we have never looked back since.”

“For each type of Cessna airframe, we have selected the right power solution, dramatically enhancing the performance of each model,” continued Johnson. “This explains why we have selected the Titan O-340 from Continental Motors as the reference engine for our Cessna 172 STC. Flight testing will soon confirm our hopes regarding enhanced performance. We are excited about this project as it will bring more value to the pilots that fly their 172.”

A Cessna 182 (C182 S&T models), equipped with the IO550 STC, can easily achieve a 400’ takeoff at gross weight, and a 1700 FPM climb rate with max speed achieved being slightly over 200 MPH.

For Cessna 185 through 210 models, equipped with the IO550 STC, tests show an increase of about 10-14 knots in cruise and an increase in climb rate of about 3-400 FPM with only a slight increase in fuel flow. As there are no cowling modifications with these STCs (and no flap operation restrictions), the amount of man hours required to perform the installation is greatly reduced when compared to other solutions.

Texas Skyways has also developed a unique modification to the oil system which allows for an extension in engine TBO to 2500 hours on carbureted engines STC’s (O-470, O-520 and O-550).

“At its Fairhope facility, Continental Motors Services can not only perform the STC installations, but also perform avionics, ADS-B upgrades, and complete interior refurbishment that can provide the aircraft owner with an opportunity for significant savings,” said Bill Stromberg, Vice President, Continental Motor Services.

“We all know that a lot of time is spent prepping an airframe for an engine exchange, a digital engine monitor installation, or an avionics upgrade. By performing these tasks separately, an owner ends up paying for the same preparation work multiple times,” Stromberg added.“Our specialized teams (engine/airframe, avionics, and interiors) can work in parallel, thus reducing the down time of the aircraft. We then pass on these savings to the owner.

Texas Skyways and Continental Motors are a natural fit. Texas Skyways relies on Continental to obtain the best engine for each Cessna Model and who better than Continental to install these engines in an airframe? Together, we offer more value to our customers and deliver the best service available in the industry.”