Chabord Exhaust Systems has earned EASA certification for its new stainless steel/Inconel “eco” exhaust system for the Cessna 172R and -S models. The company has filed for reciprocal certification with the FAA, and “we expect no surprises,” according to President Alain Chabord.
The STC includes everything the customer needs, he noted. Using the customer’s exhaust gaskets, all-new materials and hardware carry exhaust through the collector to the heat muff and special muffler [with replaceable packing], and to the exhaust tip. All necessary brackets and detailed instructions are also included.
The Chabord Eco Exhaust system is built at the Chabord factory in France, where high performance exhaust systems have been produced for more than 30 years, including exhaust systems that appeared in Formula One and in many prototypes in rally and at LeMans, as well as on rare collector cars like the Ferrari 250GTO.
In aviation, Chabord performance exhausts have flown in Red Bull competitions; these hand-made Inconel systems weigh as little as nine pounds, complete, for a 540-inch Lycoming (pictured left). Chabord also produces certified exhaust systems for many exotic civilian aircraft, as well as for legacy aircraft whose factory support has run out, company officials said.
Measured performance improvements include a 4-11db reduction in noise (depending on the frequency measured, and at what distance; a decrease of the sound level by 3 dB corresponds to a halving of sound intensity). Measured climb rate increases went from 4.3m/sec (846 fpm) to 4.93m/sec (970 fpm), a 14% improvement after normalizing for flight conditions.
Factory estimates of 8% fuel consumption improvement and 50% engine vibration reduction are reasonable, company officials said, noting more testing is required to get definitive numbers, but substantial improvement is obvious in preliminary test.
“We wanted to demonstrate exceptional performance, quieter operation, and customer satisfaction, before we announced this exhaust system,” says Alain Chabord, head of the engineering and production firm that produces the exhausts. “We will be showing this system, as well as systems for other popular aircraft applications, including Van’s RV, Cessna C-150, -152 and -172; and the Rotax 912 series, at Airventure Oshkosh this July.”
Two versions are available: V1 is all stainless, with critical parts (e.g., fittings and double swivel tube) in Inconel; V2 includes these, and adds Inconel primary tubes and 4-1 tailpipe. V1 is priced at $3,900USD, complete, including shipping to the US and taxes. Both systems are available factory-direct.
