George Aviation — Liberty / Discovery XL-2 STC Program

Your Liberty XL-2, reborn without FADEC.

The XL-2 neo STC removes dependency on the deprecated Continental PowerLink FADEC by replacing it with a certified dual modern ignition and fuel-injection system — retaining your engine's potential up to original TBO, without the unscheduled groundings.

Liberty XL-2 neo demonstrator aircraft, tail number N578XL, on the ramp at AirVenture Oshkosh
The XL-2 neo demonstrator aircraft at KATW Appleton during AirVenture Oshkosh 2026
Program Bulletin — July 2026 REV 2026-07
18–24 JUL

Fadectomy at AirVenture Oshkosh — all week

The Fadectomy team will be on site for the full duration of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, meeting current and prospective Liberty XL-2 owners. The XL-2 neo demonstrator itself is based nearby — see the Oshkosh visit details below for the schedule and travel note.

Confirmed
JUL 2026

XL-2 neo redesign eliminates engine mount modification

A redesign of the XL-2 neo installation removes the need to modify the engine mount to make room for the magnetos — one of the more invasive steps in the original conversion. A second aircraft is now under conversion using the revised design.

In progress

See the XL-2 neo in person

The aircraft is on display at the Appleton Flight Center FBO, KATW — Appleton International Airport, roughly a 45-minute scheduled bus ride or drive from Oshkosh.

SAT JUL 18 SUN JUL 19 MON JUL 20 TUE JUL 21
KOSH → KATW
≈ 45 min
Appleton Flight Center FBO
The problem

Why a Liberty XL-2 needs a Fadectomy

If you fly or operate a Liberty XL-2, you already know the airframe — but you could do without the maintenance nightmare caused by the Full Authority Digital Engine Control installed on it.

The PowerLink™ FADEC fitted to the Continental IOF-240-B engine was certified in the mid-1990s. Its components are increasingly hard to source: stock is now depleted both at Continental and at the original component manufacturers. The result is aircraft that are airworthy in every respect except one — a faulty FADEC with no quick fix.

Neal George (A&P/IA), founder of George Aviation, took on the problem after a career in the Air Force, at Continental Motors and as an A&P with IA, and a request from a flying school operating a small XL-2 fleet across the USA and Switzerland.

The result is an STC that removes the unmaintainable FADEC, reinstalls a conventional fuel-injection system and a proven ignition system, and integrates the change into the airframe as if it had been built that way from the start.

First flight

The XL-2 neo flew for the first time on March 15, 2024, under an experimental / market-survey airworthiness certificate.

Status

Flight testing is underway to generate the data required for final STC approval. No release date or pricing has been announced.

Fleet under conversion

A second aircraft is currently being converted, incorporating the July 2026 redesign that removes the engine-mount modification.

The conversion

What the STC changes

The engine's remaining potential is retained up to its original TBO — there's no need to change the installed engine.

RemovedInstalled
PowerLink™ FADEC (Continental)Advanced FAA certified dual ignition system with harness
FADEC-managed fuel controlProven fuel-injection system — injectors, mixture lever, engine instrumentation
Original engine mount — no longer required (Jul 2026 redesign)Standard engine mount, unmodified
  • Installed engine's potential retained to original TBO
  • No more unscheduled, indefinite groundings
  • No more chasing unobtainable FADEC spare parts
  • Reliable dispatch rate makes low-cost instruction viable again
  • No engine mount modification required (as of the July 2026 redesign)
  • Second conversion aircraft now underway on the revised design
Choose your path

Two options for your Liberty XL-2

Option A

Engine nearing TBO

Your engine is nearing TBO, and Continental no longer supplies the IOF-240-B5B FADEC engine. Obtain an overhauled, rebuilt, or new IO-240-B engine and get the XL-2 neo STC without the need for a new fuel injection system, which comes with the replacement engine.

Option B

Engine has plenty of hours left

Your engine has plenty of hours until TBO, but your XL-2's future was uncertain due to inexistent FADEC parts — speed sensor, fuel injectors, low voltage harness, ECUs, fuel pressure sensors, VM 1000, and so on. The XL-2 neo STC breathes new life into your Liberty XL-2, whether you can fly it to Baker, FL, or it needs pickup in our special XL-2 trailer.

Our history

How the XL-2 neo came together

2023

A flying school asks for a fix

A flying school operating a small XL-2 fleet in the USA and Switzerland approaches George Aviation about grounded aircraft with no FADEC parts available.

2023–2024

STC engineering begins

George Aviation, in a joint venture with EcoFlight training, begins engineering an STC to remove the FADEC and reinstall conventional ignition and fuel-injection systems.

MAR 15, 2024

First flight

The XL-2 neo demonstrator flies for the first time under an experimental / market-survey airworthiness certificate.

2024–2026

Flight test program

Testing continues to generate the data required for final STC approval.

JUL 2026

Engine-mount redesign

The installation is redesigned to remove the need for engine mount modification. A second aircraft enters conversion on the new design, and the team meets owners all week at AirVenture Oshkosh, with the aircraft on display at the Appleton Flight Center FBO, KATW.

Register interest

Get certification and pricing updates

No release date or pricing has been set yet, and resources for answering individual questions are limited — but we do send milestone and availability updates by email every few months.

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