 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
When will a diesel be available for my aircraft? |
|
News, facts, and comments on the coming revolution for piston-engine aircraft.News of October 12, 2008Thielert bids receivedA savior for diesel propulsion manufacturer Thielert Aircraft Engines may be about to emerge. A spokesman for the German company's administrator says ‘several’ prospective bidders have submitted letters of intent, with "purchase prices within the range the administrator is expecting" a statement on the sale is expected ‘shortly’. A total of 24 potential investors had by late July signed a confidentiality agreement to receive financial details on the company. However, Diamond Aircraft, Thielert's biggest customer and the only general aviation manufacturer to fit its Centurion engine as original equipment, rules out taking over its former supplier. It comes as Austro Engine, the engine maker set up by Diamond, prepares to deliver its two-liter Jet A1-powered AE 300, an alternative to the Centurion. The Austrian company's marketing and sales director Markus Hergeth expects European Aviation Safety Agency certification this month. There are 2,000 Thielert engines powering Diamond s DA40 and DA42 aircraft, retrofitted Pipers and Cessnas, and versions of General Atomics Predator unmanned air vehicle. (By Murdo Morrison, Flight International 9/08) posted at 11:36 AM The forgotten secret of the superb German diesel flying boats.
 (Dornier 26 - Doc: HistoricAircraft.org) Between 1930 and 1945, flying boats for transport were fashionable because the world was lacking runways, especially big runways for big planes. A flying boat doesn’t need a runway. So the jetset of the days was travelling in Boeing 314s, Martin 130, Sikorsky S-40, 42 and 44, Liore-Olivier 24 and 26, Short Calcuttas and Empires… Germany built many flying boats for various uses, most of them using the Junkers Jumo 205 diesel 2-stroke opposite pistons, with powers from 600 to 880 HP. Best knowns were the Do-18 twin, and the Blohm & Voss Ha 138 and 139. The most beautiful, and possibly the most beautiful flying boat ever made, was the Do-26 See Adler (Sea Eagle), which could carry 4 passengers plus crew of 4 and mail from Lisbon to New York, or during the war Bathurst to Natal, and back. During the battle of Narvik in early 1940 Do-26s were carrying 18 troops from Germany to northern Norway. The Do-26 weighed 25,000 Lbs empty and 50,000 Lbs at take off, therefore she could carry her own weight: So much for those who think that diesels are heavy… Top speed was 185 kts. Cruise economy speed was 135 kts and range was almost 4,000 NM. And this leads me to disclose the secret of these diesel flying boats. You certainly agree that the power a plane needs at best economy speed is much less than the power at take off. How much less depends on the design. The most economical plane would be the glider if it could glide for ever, which is why the most economical planes, and therefore the ones with the longest range, are the ones with a high aspect ratio (ratio of wing length to width) giving them a lower induced drag and a most efficient gliding ratio. A classical example was the Convair B36 strategic bomber of the fifties, which had an aspect ratio of 13 and could cruise at 230 kts for 9,000NM without bombs (ferry range). Its six R-4360 engines were delivering 1,000HP at cruise speed against 3,500 at take off. Therefore, to obtain a long range, basically you need a high aspect ratio, and an optimal cruise speed of some 1.3 to 1.5 times stalling speed clean. And here comes the problem with gasoline engines: at 1/3rd to 1/4th their nominal power, the specific fuel consumption (fuel consumed per HP-hour) becomes lousy because combustion is no more in optimal conditions. At same fractional power, the diesel is as efficient as at full power. So maintaining cruise speed may require down to 50% of the fuel flow needed with gasoline engines operating at same fractional power, meaning so much more range. The Germans therefore said: the future of air transportation is the diesel flying boat flying at some 1.3 to 1.5 Va with a high aspect ratio. And they demonstrated it. Then, in 1945, the secret was lost. Nobody was interested anymore in such planes when one could buy a surplus DC3 or DC4 for a song, and use all the runways built during WWII, and when the future so obviously was the turbojet. But today? A cargo diesel motor glider with a very high aspect ratio cruising around 100 kts could very well again be the most effective way to ship goods by air. Eventually, a very big one. Think about it while looking at the plane here under: Do you recognize it?  (Doc. www.ussr-airspace.com)
posted at 8:36 AM News of October 06, 2008Of diesel versus gasoline fuels...We answer here a question from a reader, question which we read quite regularly, and comes from incorrect information about what is a diesel engine: Q: I've been reading about the advantages that diesel will bring to general aviation. We can extract more energy from one gallon of diesel than one gallon of avgas, they are expected to be FADEC, turbo normalized, as well as a few other items. Lycoming just came out with the iE2 electronic engine which they say in the future will be able to burn Avgas, Auto fuel, and heavy fuels (diesel and Jet A I'm assuming). But I have two questions. A: You are right that diesel extracts more energy from one gallon of jetfuel than a gasoline engine from one gallon of Avgas. This is due to higher efficiency in terms of how much mechanical energy is extracted from thermochemical energy available. But this is not the sole advantage of diesel by far. I think that the first advantage is the almost constant specific fuel consumption (Lbs of fuel per HP-hour) which allows extending the range dramatically when reducing speed in an emergency. See our previous papers on this. I do not expect the new Lycoming to burn diesel fuel as well as gasoline. Q1. There are after market FADECs for my continental engine that can be installed by GAMI and Aerostance. Is that all that is needed to switch to Mogas or Diesel. A. Absolutely not. To switch from any kind of gasoline to diesel you need to replace your engine/engine mount/heat exchangers/propeller/engine instruments combine by a completely new one including a diesel engine. Q2: If the new engines can use Diesel or Jet A, but are not used in a diesel cycle engine, do you know if I can still get the extended range using Diesel fuel as oppose to Avgas. A. A diesel engine can only be used in a diesel cycle. It means: Compression ignition (no plugs, no magnetos...), very high compression ratio. And it can only use a diesel fuel such as motordiesel, JetA, or biodiesel fuel. posted at 3:58 AM News of September 26, 2008Look at this photograph and guess how high the 182SMA is flying.
 The Argentinian owner of a Cessna 182 converted to the SMA turbodiesel engine sends us this photograph taken as he is crossing the Andes. One can wonder where he would land if he lost his engine. Guess how high the plane is flying? posted at 8:40 AM News of September 07, 2008Maule is happy with the SMA diesel - 16 SMAs are flying in the US.Brent Maule, sales manager of Georgia-based Maule Air Inc., proclaimed the SMA JetA-powered Maule M9-230 to be ‘the best one that we build’ after making the long cross-country flight from Georgia to Oshkosh in it. 'It was extremely smooth and quiet at 2,200 rpm,' he said, noting it yielded 135 knots consistently. SMA President Luc Pelon said that 16 SMA SR305-230 engines are flying in the United States since their 2006 certification, and 50 worldwide. He made a point of stating that the 230-hp engine burns JetA which, he said, is ‘fast becoming the new avgas’ - probably truer of Europe than the United States, so far. ‘Moving quickly is not our focus,’ Pelon said. ‘We did not make the easiest choice or the inexpensive way when we decided, some years ago, to go to a new engine design from scratch. Instead of trying to use a technology which existed for other applications we started from the ground up.’ The ‘smooth and quiet’ SMA diesel speaks for itself, according to Maule. For more information: MauleAirInc.com or SMAEngines.com. posted at 11:41 AM News of September 04, 2008DeltaHawk signs with FAA a PSCP aiming at diesel engine certification.
 DeltaHawk Engines, Inc. is pleased to announce the formal signing of the Project Specific Certification Plan (PSCP) on August 12th at DeltaHawk facility in Racine., WI. The PSCP is the official document between the FAA and DeltaHawk detailing the specifics of the certification plan along with timelines for completion. This event marks a major milestone in the certification the DeltaHawk V-4 aerodiesel engine. Pictured, standing in front of DeltaHawk’s Cessna 337, are, from left to right: Doug Doers, DH VP of Engineering, Wayne Shade, DH Contract DER, Dean May, DH Certification Project Manager, Christina Liepins, DH A&P Mechanic & Purchasing, Dennis Webb, DH President; Diane Doers, DH CEO, Tim Smythe, FAA Senior Aviation Safety Engineer, Dr. Chung-Der Young, FAA Aerospace Engineer, and Dom DeCosta, DH Contract DAR. posted at 11:13 PM In 2008, four major events are causing a shock in the aero diesel market – DieselAir special review, Chapter 2: The Engineering Arena.
 Scroll down and see Chapter 1 dated July 9. Aero-News says (7/28/08): The 170 hp AE 300 engine incorporates a number of key advancements over the Thielert engine, including an improved gearbox with a torsional vibration damper instead of a friction clutch, designed to offer gearbox life of 2,400 hours. A new, four-point engine mount is also featured, as is an improved turbocharger and a FADEC-controlled, but otherwise conventional engine governor. The Austro engine also sports an integral oil/ coolant heat exchanger, eliminating external oil lines and the need for an external oil cooler. This leaves open some questions: One is we still do not know the weight incidence on a DA 42 of replacing the Thielert 2 Liter by the Austro. But more generally how will an engine rated at 85HP per Liter of Cubic Capacity behave in terms of wear and tear? Keep in mind that a conventional Avgas engine such as Lycoming or Continental is rated around 30-35HP per Liter, and an SMA diesel, at 50HP per Liter. Now, a power close to 100HP per Liter is nothing exceptional in itself. In the fifties, for instance, an Alfa-Romeo Alfetta Formula One 1.5 Liter, supercharged, was delivering 300HP per Liter! But it was expected to last only a few hours. Today, many European and Japanese automobiles have diesel engines rated between 70 and 90 HP/Liter, and they easily exceed 100,000 miles, corresponding to a TBR of well over 3,000 hours. But they do not drive at a constant speed of 125 mph, at which their full power is needed. The two key differences between an airplane engine and an automobile engine are: First, when you are flying in IMC on your way to an alternate, you cannot stop on the safety lane to open the hood and check what is wrong with your engine and then wait for Triple-A service. Second, an aero engine must be light. To make it lighter, you remove metal volume, and refrigerant volume meaning accordingly circulating oil or water. The lighter it is, the more vulnerable it becomes to thermal shocks, and each of these shocks increases the wear and tear. Adding fifty pounds of weight to an auto engine is not that bad, even though it comes to sense that the life expectancy of a 5 Liter V8 is higher than the one of a 4 cylinder 750cc engine. But to an aero engine, less weight is critical. So far, the Thielert saga has proven the point of the old timers saying that you can’t beat cubic inches when it comes to reliability. Does it mean that they are right? Not necessarily. If your engine is using state of the art technology for alloys and even more for surface treatments, the fact is that the reliability has incredibly increased compared with the 40s and 50s when your Lycoming and Continental were state of the art, and that the experts in these technologies are in Europe. It made sense to expect that the most sophisticated European R&Ds in automobile engine knew how to make a small aero engine that would last longer than expected, whether diesel or gasoline. Thielert comes from the race car engine profession. The SMA team originated with Renault Sports who was designing the famous Renault V10 Formula One engine. Mark Wilksch, founder of Wilksch Airmotive, came from the famous Cosworth team. These three firms, coming from same background, opted for three different solutions: In-line, water cooled, 4 cylinder, 4 stroke, high rpm geared engine, high power per Liter (Thielert, Austro); Opposite piston, air cooled, 4 stroke, no gear, medium power per Liter (SMA); V design, 2 stroke, no gear, medium power (Wilksch). And we can assume they had access to the same know how in terms of alloys, surface treatments, techniques for vibration control, for fuel injection, heat exchange, exhaust design, etc. Why did they disagree on design? And who is right? I have one explanation: Any engineer in automobile engine design owns a car, drives around, maintains it, pays for it, and tinkers with it. Very few of these same engineers own and operate an airplane and live in everyday life how dramatic must be, on any aircraft cruising close to full power, the zero defect, zero incident, trouble-free factor, down to the most modest hose, seal, connector, bearing, and bolt. Therefore these Europeans, lacking that background, began trying different solutions, each one in his neck of the woods. Who is right? Time will tell, but it looks like LSA diesel engines of 100-120HP will be 2 stroke, that so far Thielert has caused a setback to the high rpm in-line geared engine, that Austro has not yet clearly explained why they will do radically better than Thielert, and that SMA, as of now the only FAA certified and world certified engine that seems to run trouble free, does not have yet enough engines actually flying to take advantage of the situation. posted at 9:52 PM News of August 06, 2008LoPresti Announces ‘Innovation In Aviation’ Award
 LoPresti Aviation announced on Saturday at EAA AirVenture that they have established a new annual award for ‘Innovation in Aviation,’ in honor of their founder, aircraft designer Roy LoPresti. The first winner, DeltaHawk Engines, is a small company that has worked for 12 years to bring a new diesel design to the market. ‘The persistence and creativity of this company is something of which Roy would have approved,’ the company said in a news release. LoPresti will work with the winners to help develop and market their ideas. The award will be presented every year at Oshkosh. ‘In this next year you will see their engine gain certification and we will work with them to create STC's for the burgeoning diesel market,’ LoPresti said. See: http://www.avweb.com/newspics/loprestiaward.jpg (Avweb 8/4/08) posted at 12:32 PM News of August 01, 2008Battle over diesels moves to Oshkosh
 The Austro-German battle of the diesels moved its venue to Oshkosh this week, but the combatants remained restrained and on best behavior even though they were only a few yards apart. AirVenture marked the first public static showing of the 168 hp Austro Engine AE 300 liquid cooled diesel being developed by Diamond Aircraft to replace the Thielert Aircraft Engines power plants used by some of the Diamond models until Thielert s insolvency earlier this year. Since then the supply of Thielert diesels to Diamond has ceased, crippling delivery of Diamond aircraft and leading to a very public and spiteful war of words between Thielert s liquidation administrator Dr. Bruno Kuebler and Diamond Aircraft owner and CEO Christian Dries. Austro Engine is aiming for EASA certification this fall. Its new facility aims to produce 2,000 engines a year to power Diamond Aircraft’s DA40, DA42 and DA50. Both the Austro and the Thielert designs are based on Mercedes A-class four-cylinder engines, but the AE 300 substitutes some heavier cast iron parts for the aluminum used by Thielert. Austro Engine is a consortium between Diamond Aircraft, MBtech in Germany, and other partners. Diamond had planned to switch to its own engine from Thielert anyway, but the Thielert bankruptcy has advanced the timing. Austro engines are currently being test flown extensively in the three Diamond models. Thielert, though in liquidation, displayed its Centurion engines at AirVenture. Why would a bankrupt company bother to exhibit, one might ask? Thielert sales manager Jasper Wolffson was assuring all comers that production of spare parts is continuing while more than 50 would-be investors assess taking over the ailing company. ‘We hope to have a new owner by the end of September,’ he told Aviation Week. While Diamond has claimed that more than 72 Diamonds are grounded around the world for lack of Thielert parts and more than 40 are stored at the factory without engines, Wolffson insists that the groundings are not his company’s fault. Parts are available, he says. But under German law Kübler canceled all warranties on Thielert engines in the field. At the same time he significantly raised the price of parts that operators now had to pay for parts, and told Diamond they must pay in advance for engines at a far higher price than had previously been agreed. The real issue is the gearbox and clutch on the Thielert diesel engine, which must be replaced every 300 hours at a cost (for just the parts) of 5,000 euros. Thielert had promised the first exchange for free under warranty up to 600 hours; now the warranty is canceled owners must pay, and though they can file a claim with the liquidator they are likely to receive back ‘anything from zero to 100%,’ said Wolffson. Many are choosing to wait; meanwhile their aircraft remain grounded. Wolffson allowed that the Thielert marketing strategy had been one of not being too expensive, and of encouraging operators to overlook the shortfalls of the gearbox. Now the liquidator is trying to put Thielert on a viable commercial footing before selling the company. Thielert is facing the loss of its major customer as it moves toward new ownership (some 2,500 engines are in service, mostly on Diamonds), but Wolffson said talks are continuing with Cessna on a regular basis on supplying engines for a diesel Cessna 172. Cessna, though, is holding back until it can check the pedigree of the new owners. Meanwhile the Thielert development department has actually grown during the insolvency, charged primarily with extending the life of that gearbox and clutch. ‘It would be wrong to say it is business as usual, but we are at Oshkosh to show that we are still alive,’ said Wolffson. ‘We are very, very optimistic.’ (Aviation Week 8/1/08) posted at 12:44 PM SMA Diesel Engines Available for Experimentals
 SMA, part of the SAFRAN Group, announced today that its diesel-burning engines are currently available in the new Maule M9, as well as for the Experimental Pulsar S300. The company is selling the engine to individual owners of other certified and non-certified aircraft (including the Piper Dakota and Cessna 182 and 206). The SR 305-230 engine, with 230 horsepower, has proved itself in the Cessna 182 over nearly 12 years of operation as a more fuel-efficient alternative than the OEM Continental O-470. Its FADEC system and ability to burn Jet-A or diesel fuel make it particularly attractive to kit aircraft builders who are beginning to experience difficulty finding avgas, and especially for those who live in parts of the world where avgas has become unaffordable. The SR 305-230 engine is not an inexpensive proposition for a kit builder, with price estimates for the engine running somewhere in the $75,000 range, according to SMA, but it is ready to ship today. Its performance, burning just 7.9 gph at 65% power, and long TBO (3000 hours), as well as the fact that it contains 70% fewer parts than the typical avgas-burning engine, are all attractive to builders. SMA is hoping that 12 years of developing its engine as an alternative fuel burner is about to pay off. (Kitplanes Magazine 7/31/08) DieselAir Comment: The Maule M9 diesel will be the first airplane sold with the SMA engine as original equipment. We expect this model to give Maule a new life on its world market niche of STOL taildraggers, since its performances (range, speed, fuel economy, safety) will considerably increase the possibilities of this product. posted at 12:27 PM News of July 31, 2008TECNAM Italian LSA manufacturer to test Gemini DieselItalian manufacturer TECNAM will be testing a series of diesel engines on its P92 Eaglet LSA and under-development P2006T light-light twin, Tim Archer, CEO of engine-maker Powerplant Developments told EAA AirVenture 2008 attendees Wednesday. Under a memorandum of agreement between the two companies, Powerplant Developments will supply both a 100-hp and a 125-hp turbocharged version of its Gemini diesel engine platform. The engines will be used for evaluation purposes, with two of the 125-hp turbo versions possibly a part of TECNAM's FAR Part 23 certification process. ‘We are anticipating the Powerplant Developments' Gemini engines will bring an exceptional level of performance and capability to TECNAM aircraft owners,’ Paolo Pascale Langer, TECNAM's managing director said in a statement. In response, Archer added, ‘We couldn't be more excited and proud that such a well-established aircraft manufacturer like TECNAM has shown such a high level of confidence in the Gemini engine program.’ During his briefing, Archer admitted he had been ‘too optimistic’ about his company's overall development program schedule, which presently is 6-8 months behind schedule. However, he noted Powerplant Developments this week was shipping a prototype engine to a government/military contractor to be used aboard a long-endurance unpiloted vehicle presently under development. In addition to TECNAM and the unidentified contractor, Archer said his company was in negotiations for future engines with more than one airframe manufacturer. Powerplant Developments' Gemini 100 and 125 engines are based on the Junkers Jumo series of aircraft diesels first flown in the 1930s. In the 100- to 125-hp output range, the diesels are a three-cylinder, six piston design, using a two-stroke cycle and liquid cooling. The 100-hp version weighs 156.5 lbs ready-to-run on a test stand, while the 125-hp turbocharged version slated for TECNAM's P2006T light-light twin checks in at 201 lbs wet. The company says its 100-hp Gemini 100 is roughly the same height and width as similar-output aircraft powerplants from other manufacturers, but is shorter. The Gemini 100's projected retail price will be around $18,000, with its TBO initially set at 2000 hours. The engine, which turns at 4000 rpm, will be geared down to turn a propeller at 2500 rpm. Its projected brake specific fuel comsumption consumption is .38. posted at 11:58 PM News of July 30, 200824 prospective buyers for Thielert Motoren have signed confidentiality agreement.Press Release received from Thielert: ‘The process of finding an investor is now moving to the next phase. Prof. Guenter Kappler has been appointed “Accountable Manager”. The 24 prospective buyers are mainly aircraft industry firms, plus some financial investors. Having signed confidentiality agreements, within the next few days the interested parties will be receiving detailed information on the current position of the company, on the basis of which they can begin with due diligence. The uncommonly large number of potential buyers shows that Thielert is seen as an attractive investment in the industry, though this comes as no surprise. After all, the Thielert engines are certified in 50 countries, and the Thielert infrastructure – a global network of 264 service centers and distribution partners – make it a considerable asset to potential investors. As Accountable Manager, Kappler is now solely responsible for aviation safety issues, including quality management in development, production, maintenance and training, and compliance with aviation regulations.' (Thielert press release 7/29/08) posted at 6:25 AM News of July 29, 2008Cessna Still Seeking Diesel Engine SolutionCessna Aircraft, which had planned to be delivering Model 172 Skyhawks powered by Thielert Aircraft Engine diesel power plants this year, is still seeking a viable alternative following the German engine maker's insolvency filing earlier this year. Jack Pelton, Cessna s chairman, president and CEO, told Aviation Week Tuesday in an interview at the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., that Cessna first began working with Thielert founder Frank Thielert nearly six years ago about an engine that could burn Jet A fuel, but sized properly for installation in light aircraft. Pelton said the first engines Thielert provided did not possess the operating parameters and reliability to meet Cessna standards. So the Wichita aircraft maker spent several years in a cooperative program with Thielert, running engines on test stands and conducting flight tests. The two firms finally agreed that the Thielert Centurion 2.0 engines would meet Cessna s needs and they embarked on a program to win FAA certification for installing the engines in new production aircraft. Pelton said Cessna was scheduled to deliver 160 diesel-powered 172s this year, but those plans were grounded by Thielert s financial problems. With Thielert future uncertain at best, Pelton said ‘We are in discussions with all the engine manufacturers’ about finding another diesel engine. He noted that Continental and Lycoming are both looking at developing diesel aircraft engines. ‘They are all trying to find a way to get there,’ Pelton said, but those programs are at least three years away. Diamond Aircraft is working with Austro Engine to field a replacement for the Thielert Centurions in its DA 42 aircraft and Pelton said he believes the Austro engine will be available to other aircraft manufacturers. But he said the Austro powerplant is ‘a lot heavier’ than the Centurion. Pelton stressed that Cessna remains intensely interested in finding the right diesel power plant because ‘the need is there’ given the soaring cost of aviation gasoline and its limited availability in many parts of the world, But he said ‘we are not going to field a green engine’ with questionable reliability. Until diesel power is available, Pelton said one interim solution under study is the new Lycoming iE2 series engines with integrated electronic engine controls. Lycoming, which hopes to win FAA certification of the first iE2 engine this year, said the new line will offer pilots single-lever operation, alternate fuel capability, improved fuel economy and simpler, easier starting. The integrated engine controls will be available on Lycoming four-, six- and eight-cylinder models. The iE2 Series engines will have dual channel electronic control units, distributed electronic ignition, individual sensors knock sensors and a self-test mode that begins operating as the engine is being started, quickly giving pilots a ‘green light’ if it is OK to proceed or warning if a problem is detected. A Lycoming spokesman said pricing for the new engines has not been finalized. (Aviation Week 7/29/08) DieselAir comment: The 172 and other planes in the 160-180HP range will simply have to wait for a diesel alternative. Three years from now may be enough to see a 2-stroke diesel certified and STCd in that power range. We see two candidates: DeltaHawk as favorite, and Wilksch if it can upgrade its 100-120HP to 160HP fast enough. For flight academies interested in a two-seater burning 3 gallons/hour of Jetfuel, IndUS Aviation may be the first to offer a solution fully compatible with high fuel prices, with its Thorpedo T-211 diesel (Wilksch WAM 100HP 2-stroke.) Meanwhile the sole aero diesel airplane fully STCd worldwide now remains the Cessna 182SMA... posted at 10:51 PM News of July 27, 2008If you subscribed to DieselAir Newsletter...Please note that 15% of our emails notifying subscribers are rejected because of spam barriers or obsolete email addresses. If this is your case, do not be surprised if you have not received anything for some time, and send directly to atc@dieselair.com a reliable, direct email address. Andre Teissier-duCros, Publisher posted at 8:33 PM News of July 25, 2008Diamond Offering Assistance To DA42 CustomersDiamond Aircraft launched a program Thursday designed to help its DA42 aircraft customers manage the transition from the original equipment Thielert Aircraft Engine Centurion engine to an Austro Engine AE 300 powerplant. Existing owners of TAE Centurion engines have complained of lack of support and warranty coverage from Thielert since that company entered insolvency this spring. Diamond is working with Austro Engine and hopes to win European Aviation Safety Agency type certification for the 170-horsepower turbo-diesel engine this fall. Diamond announced a multi-faceted DA42 Customer Assistance Program Thursday that encompasses parallel initiatives: Certifying the Austro Engine in the DA42, including a retrofittable upgrade kit to convert existing customer aircraft to the more powerful 170-horsepower AE 300; and efforts to win Supplemental Type Certificate approval for alternative support and maintenance solutions for the existing TAE engine. 'We are expending significant resources on these extensive programs in our very best effort to protect our existing customers, regardless of the possible outcome of the TAE insolvency,' said Peter Maurer, president of Diamond Aircraft Industries. 'The potential of upgrading existing DA42s - to deliver greatly improved performance, reliability and manufacturer support - will greatly enhance their value and best protect the investment that our customers have made in their aircraft.' Diamond is offering program participants up to a 30 percent 'subsidy' of the cost of the of the optional Austro Engine retrofit when it becomes available; assignment of a priority position for Austro Engine retrofit kits; a 30 percent discount on any TAE-engine specific parts and services that are under development by Diamond when STCs are issued and those parts become available; an immediate 20 percent discount on all DA42 Diamond airframe parts; and, a 12-month extension of the airframe parts warranty. (Aviation Week 7/25/08) posted at 11:34 PM |
Previous Posts
Thielert bids received Archives
July 2002
|
