Do you realize – to get 2,000 hours from a Teledyne Continental Motor TCM-IO-550 engine you’ll spend somewhere between $6,000 to $10,000 on magnetos alone. Magnetos are an archaic mechanical device from a by-gone era.
What is the cost for magnetos on a Cirrus SR22?
Column “A” in the table below shows our expected total magneto cost on the TCM IO-550 piston engine for 2,000 hours. It includes our actual service costs and forecasted expense going forward.
Column “B” shows an expected mag cost if you don’t encounter any unusual magneto problems and you pay for float and drift adjustments between 500 hour IRANs.
Forecast 2,000 hour Magneto cost
| Description | A | B |
| New Engine Mags | 2,200 | 2,200 |
| 1st 500 hour IRAN | 4,282 | 1,500 |
| 2nd 500 hour IRAN | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| 3rd 500 hour IRAN | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Total | $9,482 | $6,700 |
For more discussion and information on magnetos you can refer to Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) website and Mike Bush’s “Savvy Aviator” website.
General aviation piston engines need a modern-day solution to generate a reliable spark for a reasonable operating expense. There has to be a better way.
Maybe companies like ElectroAir will gain approval for an electronic ignition kit solution for the TCM-IO-550. I wonder what the ICON A5 Rotax engine uses to spark their engine?
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