Engine Air Intake Filters for General Aviation

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Airborne dust causes aircraft engine wear and fouling. Donaldson engine air intake filters for piston-powered aircraft remove dust from the air before it reaches the engine. Air intake filtration reduces component wear, improves engine performance and lengthens engine life.

Donaldson Pleated Media Filters
There are four kinds of light aircraft engine air intake filters on the market today: foam, cotton gauze, pleated paper (cellulose) and pleated synthetic media. Donaldson pleated media is better by a long shot. Why? The filter media fibers are engineered with specific properties, patterns and densities to trap more dirt while channeling optimal airflow. Judge for yourself.

Filter media photographed at equal magnification:

Donaldson synthetic media

Foam media

Cotton gauze media

Donaldson Filter Attributes

Better dust trapping than foam or gauze. Greater than 98.5%.
More efficient airflow than foam (less restriction).
No special cleaning solutions or oil required, making it far more economical than maintaining a gauze filter.
Easier maintenance than foam or gauze. Visually inspect every 100 hours, remove and replace at 500 hours. No messy oil, no loose parts.
Lasts longer (500 hours vs. 100 hours for foam).
More cost effective than foam or gauze over the life of the filter.
Meets all flammability requirements per FAR 23.853.
No Airworthiness Directives.
OEM preferred/approved (meets engine and airframe OEM requirements) and FAA-PMA approved.
Backed by 90 years of Donaldson Company filtration experience.

Pleated Media versus Foam and Gauze
Donaldson traps more dust than the competition. We loaded our filters and competitors’ filters with dust (SAE) to simulate engine wear. Foam filters allowed eleven times more dust to pass through to the engine than the Donaldson synthetic pleated media filters. The Donaldson filters maintained 98.5% efficiency and optimal airflow. See the charts in our engine air intake brochure.

Maintenance is way easier and more economical with Donaldson filters than with foam or gauze. Visually inspect your Donaldson filter at 100-hour checks. Service only if needed. Clean with compressed air, reinstall and that’s it. No need for water or special cleaning solutions, no messy oil to buy and apply, no loose parts to assemble. Add up the labor and material cost savings on filter servicing alone and you’ll see how Donaldson is the more economical choice for the life of your plane. Plus, Donaldson keeps more dirt out of your engine parts, making your overall maintenance cost savings even better!

Longer life. Foam filters are rated to last only 100 hours, while Donaldson filters are rated to last 500 hours. You’d end up buying at least five foam filters by the time you had to replace one Donaldson filter. Not to mention the wear your engine would take from all the dirt it ingested. Donaldson is far more cost efficient.

Donaldson pleated synthetic media air intake filter is the clear choice for extended engine life, engine protection and effective lifetime cost management. At your next 100 hour/annual, make sure to ask your mechanic for Donaldson OEM filters.