Cirrus Aircraft Selects Sky-Tec’s New-Generation PM-Series Starter as Standard Equipment on All Continental Engine Powered Cirrus Models

Sky-Tec’s new mid-weight, direct-drive, FAA PMA approved starter delivers increased performance and reliability on Continental six-cylinder engines.

 Montgomery, AL (July 9, 2018) — Keith Bagley, president of Hartzell Engine Technologies (HET), makers of the Sky-Tec brand of starters, announced today that Cirrus Aircraft has selected the Continental 658741 (Sky-Tec’s PM2407) starter as standard equipment on all Continental engine powered Cirrus models.

“The impetus of this starter change is related to Continental Service Bulletin 16-6 and FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) NE-17-11, Bagley stated. “Owner/operators of Cirrus and other aircraft with Continental engines were experiencing issues with engine kickback when starting. According to the SAIB, kickbacks can damage engine components, including the starter, starter adapter assembly, and the crankshaft gear and its retaining screws.”

“According to Continental Motors, the major contributors to a kickback include, but are not limited to, the installation of lower-inertia (lower weight) propellers and/or a slow or sluggish starting RPM,” he said. “The Cirrus SR22 uses a low-inertia Hartzell composite propeller and its original Sky-Tec starter’s RPM is relatively slow for a large-bore Continental engine.”

Bagley explained that the new PM-series starter that Cirrus is now using as standard cranks at twice the RPM of the original starter, making it the highest RPM starter available for Continental engines.

“It’s very fortunate that our new-generation PM-Series starter meets the unique engine/propeller combination that Cirrus uses on its Continental powered models and is also FAA-PMA approved,” he said. “Along with being the new factory standard, it’s also available to upgrade aircraft in the field.”

Continental recently released Service Information Letter SIL 16-1A supporting the use of the Continental 658741 (PM2407) starter in place of the superseded 657596 (Sky-Tec C24ST3) starter, which has been discontinued.

Along with the aforementioned advantages, the new Sky-Tec PM2407 starter offers other benefits, including:

• Large, high-torque permanent magnet motor providing high-speed cranking performance.
• Excellent cooling characteristics for a high-duty cycle.
• Direct drive, avoiding the need for a complex gear reduction system.
• FAA-PMA approved for use on six-cylinder Continental engines.
• Available in both 12- and 24-volt models.

“For aftermarket applications, the 24-volt (PM2407) has a 2018 list price of $1,150.00,” Bagley said. “It is now available from Sky-Tec distributors and comes with a 36-month or 1,000-hour warranty – whichever comes first.”