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2/19/2010
FROM:
BDN Aerospace Marketing
505 S Val Vista Drive
Mesz, AZ 85204 USA
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FOR:
Donaldson Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 1299
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55440
(NYSE: DCI)
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CONTACTS:
Aerospace Filtration Systems, Inc
Bob Stenberg
(636) 300-5267
www.afs.donaldson.com
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DONALDSON ENGINE INLET BARRIER FILTERS ABOARD CHAMPIONSHIP RACING BOAT
St. Louis, Mo., Feb. 19, 2010 – When the owners of one of boating’s most successful, high-performance offshore race boats needed help protecting its turbine engines, they turned to the winning engineering team at Donaldson Aerospace & Defense, a division of Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE: DCI).
Donaldson Inlet Barrier Filters (IBFs) protected the turbine engines of the well known, neon green “Miss GEICO” offshore racing boat when its crew captured another World Championship and title of “Top Gun,” or fastest boat, during the 29th Annual Key West World Championship Races. Racing last November in Key West, Florida, “Miss GEICO’s” average speed was 116 miles per hour, skimming across ocean swells.
“We simply could not have achieved a 4th World Unlimited Offshore Championship without Donaldson Filters,” said Gary Stray, Team Manager.
The high-performance racing catamaran, introduced as “Miss GEICO” in 2007, derives 4,000 horsepower from twin turbine engines, similar to engines in the venerable Huey and other helicopters where Donaldson IBFs see heavy utilization.
Donaldson engineers have worked to provide the boat team with IBF technology that improves engine life and performance during these extreme maritime racing events. The application of the IBFs has historically been in helicopter, ground vehicles and fixed wing aircraft, but salt-ingestion challenges presented an opportunity to help in the maritime environment.
“No black magic here,” stated Scotty Begovich, “Miss GEICO” Throttleman. “We showed instant positive results in all areas relating to engine performance as soon as we installed Donaldson’s filters. Next to a sandstorm, our ocean saltwater racing environment is as rough as it gets on a turbine. With the air and flow cleaned up, my EGTs (Exhaust Gas Temps) became consistent, and I could push the engines to their limits.”
Top speed of the boat is 210 miles per hour, with drivers facing unpredictable ocean conditions that require top engine performance. “An hour of blasting through ocean surf and our turbines were running cool allowing us to focus on piloting … not engine management,” recalls Marc Granet, “Miss GEICO” Driver.
“The IBF is a very good product, with ability to benefit turbine engine operators in a wide variety of applications,” stated Mike Scimone, President of Donaldson St. Louis. “In this case, the boat operators are protecting their investment by reducing damage from salt spray ingestion into sensitive turbine propulsion components.”
At the same time, race boat owners realize savings as they drastically reduce the need for engine overhauls after each race due to salt ingestion. “The crew is loving the decrease in engine teardowns and heavy maintenance schedules,” added Scott Norton, “Miss GEICO” Crew Chief.
More recently, when a new speed record fell last December, Donaldson IBFs were aboard. The “Miss GEICO” team jockeyed their craft in a record-setting 45 minutes for the 78-mile run from Miami to Palm Beach, Florida on December 15, 2009. Speeds averaged more than 100 miles per hour in rough seas.
In the air as on the water, more and more maritime and offshore helicopter operators are choosing to upgrade their engine protection with Donaldson IBFs.
Visit Donaldson Aerospace & Defense group at the upcoming Heli-Expo 2010, Booth: #2847 in Houston, Texas, February 21-23, 2010.
To learn more about the Donaldson Aerospace & Defense group, visit www.donaldson.aero or www.afs.donaldson.com.
About Donaldson's Aerospace & Defense Group
Donaldson's Aerospace and Defense Group is a leading worldwide provider of filtration systems for the aerospace and defense industry. Our filtration solutions protect fixed wing aircraft, rotorcraft, military ground vehicles, electronic equipment, space vehicles, missiles, military shipboard systems and amphibious vehicles. We are committed to advancing filtration technology, providing quality products and prompt customer service. Our group serves customers from sales, engineering and manufacturing locations around the world.
About Donaldson Company
Donaldson is a leading worldwide provider of filtration systems that improve people's lives, enhance our Customers' equipment performance, and protect our environment. We are a technology-driven company committed to satisfying our Customers' needs for filtration solutions through innovative research and development, application expertise, and global presence. Our employees contribute to the Company's success by supporting our Customers at our more than 100 sales, manufacturing, and distribution locations around the world.
Donaldson is a member of the S&P MidCap 400 and Russell 1000 indices, and our shares trade on the NYSE under the symbol DCI. Additional information is available at www.donaldson.com.
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