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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 April 28, 2005A diesel on your Cessna 182? Come at Atlanta Peachtree-Dekalb Airport (PDK) on May 16A diesel on your Cessna 182? Come at Atlanta Peachtree-Dekalb Airport (PDK) on May 16 beginning at 11:00am for a demonstration of the Cessna 182 SMA, equipped with a 235 HP SMA 0-305 diesel. Patrick Canivet, President of Fly Jet A LLC, the licensed SMA Conversion, Service & Parts Agency in Sarasota, FL, is answering to the DieselAir Newsletter’s and Wings & Things’ invitation to fly in and demonstrate at PDK one of the 7 Cessna 182-SMA’s flying presently in North America. On that occasion, you will have the opportunity to fly the plane who is one of the 7 182 SMA's flying in North America dn one of the 25 in the world (first come first served, a nominal discovery flight fee will be charged) and to sign an Option for a conversion of your 182 (M and later Models), or for the purchase of a converted, refurbished, better than new 182-SMA with options on state of the art avionics, including glass panel, A/P upgrade, etc. The new generation of aero diesels offers these advantages on Avgas driven piston engines: fuel costs per hour reduced by 39%, range with 2 hours reserves increased by 70%, TBO increased to 3,000h., no more fire hazard due to fuel, market value of plane increased, engine reliability increased thanks to elimination of plugs, magnetos, wiring, and of 60% of all moving parts, one single control replacing throttle, mixture and pitch, etc. To find out more on what SMA offers to 182 owners, go to http://www.smaengines.com/kitc.htm To join us on May 16, email us at info@dieselair.com and send us your full name and direct phone number. posted by Deena at 2:47 PM News of April 26, 2005Sun 'n Fun Report: Centurion Thielert, Diamond and SMA lead the world diesel marketDelays, delays, delays. I am talking of certifications of course. Europe and overseas, as expected, witness the biggest growth in aerodiesel applications. There are some 150 Thielert Centurion 135HP engines flying in Europe, mainly with Cessna 172 conversions and DA 40's. There are only 25 SMA's flying, but surprisingly one gets the impression that SMA is more consistent in preparing the customer service support network that will allow penetration of the US market. Centurion was supposed to be supported by Superior Engines, but we heard on the Superior booth that they only show the engines: they do not take orders, and are not preparing for future sales and service. Superior was however showing a fully equipped 135HP and a naked but superb V-8 of 4 liters. SMA still talks of addressing the 300HP market with a 4 cylinder of same dimensions than the present 305ci. A Piper Dakota-SMA conversion is successfully flying on the West Coast and running after its certification too. The 182 SMA conversion was present, its US certification is said to be anytime now, and orders are welcome. SMA's parent company is now the new SAFRAN group resulting of the merger of French turbojet manufacturer SNECMA (GE's partner in CFM) and of French aerospace component & systems manufacturer SAGEM. Other stockholders have stepped down. Maule, SMA says, is slow but steady at promoting their MX-SMA single. Deliveries haven't begun yet. Diamond had a superb booth, expressed however disguized dissatisfaction at Thielert Centurion who, they say, is slow in organizing their customer service support; this is a reason why for the time being Diamond promotes more actively the Lycoming versons of the DA40 (single) and DA42 (twin). Deltahawk, Wilksch, D-Air and Zoche were absent. Continental and Lycoming were noncommittal regarding their diesel projects. A newcomer on the aerodiesel scene, GSE, well known in ground support equipments, was presenting a spectacular but mysterious 12 cyl. opposite cylinders, but gave no details. posted by Deena at 5:05 PM News of April 07, 2005Lycoming shows a one-eye Jacks: Possible pair? But much more than meets the eye.In a Plane & Pilot report (April '05), Lycoming's General Manager Ian Walsh reveals that they are reviving the 8-cyl. O-720 and will be introducing a diesel engine without giving any details. Lycoming already planned such an introduction a few years ago, when the firm supported the development by Detroit Diesel's then Italian subsidiary VM Motori of a most interesting opposite cylinders, 4-cyl., liquid cooled 200HP engine. The VM was supposed to originate a family of 4, 6 and 8 cylinders covering the power range upto 450HP. 4-cyl. prototypes were built and tested. VM, Italy's main producer of automobile diesel engines, was then divested to Daimler Benz who was already supporting the Thielert series, and abandoned the project. So apparently did Lycoming. Since Continental had apparently dropped its own diesel engine after spending NASA's money,the impression prevailed that the diesel's future in the US was slim at the best. Lycoming announcing a diesel engine, after Continental announced that it is finally developing with Honda Motors a 350 HP engine, is therefore major news. The two US dinosaurs of light aero engines do imply, by funding such projects, that: a). Yes, despite 9/11, NSA's regulations, small airports shutting down, costs escalations notably insurance, regular attacks from greens and liberals against General Aviation, the amazing US exception of a huge population of smaller piston-engined aircraft will survive. For Teledyne and Textron, the market niche of piston aero engines is worth defending. The US will not go the way of Europe and Japan and regulate to death this wonderful, libertarian adventure called Freedom to Fly. The market it will represent 30 years from now is worth spending tens of millions of dollars now. b). No, small propeller aircrafts will not shift to micro turboprops. The NAVAID revolution, feeding the century old, wild hope that modest families and businessmen might, one day, start their engines, activate their GPS, take off from their local airfield, turn on their Auto-Pilots and tune in real-time weather report on their huge screens, change a flight plan to go around the weather, admire the sunset, and wait for a GSP approach three hours later to another small airfield near Grandpa or near their customer, is not compatible with turbines. One needs the alternative of slowing down to economy cruise to delay a landing or go to an alternate without adrenalin discharges. One needs a cruise capability at 3-4 gallons per hour. No turboprop gives you that. A diesel does. To impose security in and around these flights and on the road, police forces will need big fleets of STOL's and helicopters hovering around at slow speed and hosting all the electronic wizardry you can imagine. These machines, to be low cost, will use diesels. Not gasoline engines. Avgas, what will be left of it, will be $12/gallon, sold in cans to EAA pilots fine-tuning their 30HP single seat motorglider. After all, there still is a market for horse saddles and for lighter fluid... c). To make money, 10-20 years from now, in aerodiesels, one must occupy the ground in the 300-450HP class. Smaller aircrafts that will do the intensive flying will be singles in that power range, plus some twins. 70 years ago, seasoned private pilots were singing the praize of the 450HP Wasp Junior radial and pointing at their Spartan Executive or Beech Staggerwing as the Way of the Future. Today, in Alaska, Canada, Brazil, black Africa, bush pilots still hang on to their precious radial engine'd Beavers. Now Lycoming realizes it has neglected its ancient position with the O-720, as can testify a few owners of antique but nurtured Piper Comanches 400HP still living with the quirks and fantasies of that engine. An Avgas, injection, full FADEC O-720 can be an immediate option while waiting for the diesel of the future. Will that future diesel of the year 2040 be a two-stroke of four-stroke? Will it be an O-engine, a radial, a Junkers Jumo-like opposite-piston design, or a geared V8? I have been in the business of Long-Term Technology Forecast since the mid sixties. Gazing in my cristal ball to forecast the answer will protect me from the decay of old age. Our national dinosaurs will also eventually remember that, with or without General Aviation, we will need flight academies. In 2040, they will have eventually to train pilots with 100-160HP diesel aircrafts. Some descendants of Max Conrad (who flew non-stop in the fifties from Johannesburgh, South Africa, to Los Angeles CA in a Comanche) will fly from Long Island to their vacation resort in Morocco, in three legs through Gander and Azores, with a 160HP two-seater. They will take time to play golf in Terceira, Azores on the way. I'll be 103. posted by Deena at 3:18 AM News of April 06, 2005Robin Aircraft is selling the DR400 with Thielert dieselKees de Bussy invites us to look at Robin Aircraft's website : www.apex-aircraft.com. The information on this site is limited, but it gives nevertheless a pretty good idea of the plane and its performances. The first flight of the Robin Dauphin diesel took place in 2003 and production planes are delivered since the end of 2004. Robin is an old French manufacturer which used to be known as Jodel, a pioneer of small home-made singles (the very first one in the late 40's was a single seater with a 32HP VW engine!) which later became famous with a line of 2 and 4 seater taildraggers. A series of mergers and restructuring ended with the merger of Robin and CAP into Apex Aircraft and production of both lines of aircraft is concentrated in Darois, France (previous Robin plant) except for the 2120/2160 trainers which are now assembled in New Zealand by Izard Pacific Aviation under the brandname Alpha. Furthermore Kees heard from the Robin dealer in Germany that they are working on a 2160 with the Thielert engine as well. posted by Deena at 9:40 PM |
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