Mater artium necessitas
Necessity is the mother of invention
Introduction
Liberty Turbines is being created from necessity. A year ago, I didn't expect that I would be creating a whole new endeavor to solve a very serious problem for people I care about, and to assure the continuation of a legacy of innovation that goes back over 20 years.
History of the XLJ
I received my first PBS TJ-100 engine in May 2008. It has served faithfully on my Super Salto jet sailplane, and more recently on my FoxJet twin jet sailplane (along with an additional new TJ-100). I have since owned several of these engines, and still own three of them. I have been involved in a number of aircraft designs using the TJ-100 (and recently the smaller PBS TJ40). These have undoubtedly been the most reliable engines I have ever flown with. They have allowed me to become a top-tier airshow performer, and have allowed numerous others to experience flight with the simplicity and reliability of turbine engines. A whole new market of light turbine aircraft, which I have dubbed extreme light jets (XLJ) is just starting to materialize. PBS was always very pleased with the exposure we provided for their products, and supported us well. My early engines were to be the longevity test units to continually update the overhaul and service life times - Then Russia invaded Ukraine -
The changing face of warfare
Ukraine quickly realized the effectiveness of inexpensive turbine powered Deep Strike Drones (DSD or colloquially 'Dollar Store Drones'). Suddenly, the whole face of warfare changed, as did the spigots of government military funding. After almost 17 years of excellent customer support for the US experimental aircraft market, PBS has largely disowned us, with service often taking months or years. PBS is even refusing to provide any service for some legacy engines. US civilian customers are asking for longer longevity, but the new crop of DSD customers are asking for engine life in the single digit hours. PBS has obviously chosen the easy route to the most money. Their US XLJ customers are unhappy to say the least.
A moral obligation
As the most ardent supporter of PBS in the US, I feel that the US experimental aircraft customers aren't just PBS customers. They are my customers. I have the most experience with operation of the TJ-100 in the field. When someone has a problem with their engine, I get the first call. I maintain a stock of spare parts, and have loaned these on numerous occasions to keep someone flying while PBS figures out what to do. However, my ability to help has been severely curtailed. I am no longer allowed to speak with anyone at the factory. All US communication must go through the PBS representative who has very limited experience with the TJ-100. The US office has no capability of providing any parts or service. They can only forward requests. Communications usually take days or weeks. If the factory does respond, the price of parts has gone through the roof.
The last straw
The recent Service Bulletin in which PBS recommends grounding all engines has proven to be most devastating. To their credit, PBS has agreed to replace turbine blisks (again) at their cost. However, there is a caveat. If your engine is more than 5 years old from date of manufacture (not date shipped or installed), you are required to pay PBS to perform an expensive overhaul. This is true even if your engine is still new in the box! If the engine is approaching 10 years old, you must agree to an even more expensive overhaul. If your engine is 15 years old, PBS has arbitrarily declared it non-airworthy (this despite no inspection and regardless of operation hours) and has refused to service it at all. Luckily, these mandates are not mandatory in the US for experimental aircraft. That being said, many TJ-100 owners have voluntarily grounded their aircraft until they can get the service from PBS. At the current rate, this will be months for a few, and years for most. This, coupled with the 2+ year lead time for new engines, has had a devastating impact on the US XLJ market. Orders for XLJ aircraft have essentially dries up, and numerous future projects have been shelved.
Until now, the entire XLJ market has been dependent on the TJ-100 as the best (only) choice for sustained manned flight and PBS as the only source for parts and service. That is about to change...
Introducing Liberty Turbines
Technically, as of this writing (March 22, 2025), Liberty Turbines doesn't yet exist as a company. It is currently a small partnership of friends with incredible talents who are working together diligently to solve the TJ-100 crisis.
Liberty Turbines Service
We have begun inspection and analysis of legacy engines with the intent of providing:
>Parts
>Service and overhauls
>A sensible maintenance program based on inspection of legacy engines
Liberty Turbines parts
We have begun the process of inspecting and redesigning many of the TJ-100 parts with an eye toward improving the function of these parts to provide longer life, higher reliability and lower cost. When practical, components will be manufactured domestically to eliminate the issues of international shipping, export licensing and delays due to Customs. Parts manufactured in Canada or Europe will be stocked in the USA. N parts will be manufactured in China.
Liberty Turbines engines
Liberty Turbines partnership members have amazing talents including the ability to design all aspects of new turbine engines from scratch. We intend to provide a range of turbine engines, manufactured in the USA for civilian and military customers.
Progress
Progress will be reported on the LEGACY TURBINES and NEW TURBINES pages
