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When will a diesel be available for my aircraft? |
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News, facts, and comments on the coming revolution for piston-engine aircraft.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 |
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