Revised proposal still calls for early ECi cylinder retirement

The FAA has released a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking affecting ECi cylinders, but officials at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) say the new proposal doesn’t go far enough to mitigate the impact on aircraft owners. According to a report at AOPA.org, the proposal calls for the early retirement of replacement cylinders with serial numbers manufactured between May 2003 and October 2009 by Airmotive Engineering Corp. and marketed by Engine Components International Division, better known as ECi. The cylinders are installed in thousands of Continental 520 and 550 engines. On Jan. 8, the FAA published the supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register, opening a new comment period through Feb. 23.