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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 January 23, 2006Why Diesel is Aircraft Power for the Future. A presentation to the EAAAndre Teissier-duCros, DieselAir s Publisher, will make a presentation on February 4 to the EAA Chapter 690 at Gwinett County (Lawrenceville, GA) Airport, on: Diesel, the Aircraft Power for the Future or The Coming of Aero Diesel Engines and the Consequences for Experimental and Private Aircraft. Dr. Teissier-duCros will discuss the coming of diesel engines to replace gasoline engines on General Aviation propeller aircraft. He is the only media in the world specializing on this topic. Putting a diesel on an airplane has much more momentous consequences than saving on fuel expenses. It increases the range of a typical single engine General Aviation aircraft to the point of making of it a true IFR cross country vehicle. The range at low power settings in case of emergency is especially enhanced. The market value of many older planes is handicapped by the high cost of engine overhaul as a percentage of total operating costs. A diesel conversion will increase market value for aircraft used intensively as trainers, small charters, cargo and personal transportation. Safety is incredibly improved - no more on board engine fires for instance. For amateur built aircraft, it opens new fields to explore. Many world distance records for small aircraft will be beaten by diesel powered craft. Dr. Teissier-duCros, a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Materials with experience in piston engine technology, is an IFR rated Private Pilot and aircraft owner. His main business, Gean Overseas, Inc., is an international consulting firm providing mergers & acquisitions and other strategic services to manufacturers of machinery and industrial goods. As a consultant, he has worked with various aircraft and engine manufacturers including the present owners of the aero diesel engine manufacturer SMA. Through his work he communicates directly with SMA (France), Thielert Motoren (Germany), Wilksch Airmotive (UK), DeltaHawk Aero Engines (US) and other firms engaged in the emerging market for diesel aircraft. Andre lives in Atlanta and flies from PDK Airport for business and pleasure, often using his Cessna 182 to visit businesses in the Eastern half of the U.S. Dr. Teissier-duCros will discuss why diesel is coming now rather than 30 years ago, present a US market forecast for aero diesels and who is the competition proposing diesels. The presentation takes place in the EAA Sport Aviation Center, Gwinnett County’s Briscoe Field. The free program will begin at 10:30 and is open to the public. Breakfast and/or refreshments are available beginning at 8:00 AM. Ample aircraft and auto parking is available. For additional information contact Joel Levine, 770-394-5466 or jlevine@bellsouth.net. posted by Deena at 10:05 AM News of January 22, 2006Why a diesel rather than a turboprop or jet?This question often comes in my mail. It seems to make sense: without question, a turbine, whether turbojet or turboprop, gives much more power per weight than either a gasoline engine or a diesel, and is also much smaller in volume. And turbine costs and sizes have been going down. Several manufacturers offer mini-turboprops around 200HP at very attractive prices. So, where’s the catch? Basically the same than with a turbine for automobiles and vehicles, which has also been tried again and again. I already explained why a diesel has the advantage over a gasoline engine of a much more constant specific power at very different rpm’s. In practice it means that, with your aero diesel plane, when you pull back the power the fuel flow drops much more dramatically than with a gasoline engine. Go back to my papers of November 5, 16 and 22 (Diesel saga) to read why. With a turbine, it is the exact opposite. A turbine is remarkably efficient at full, constant, high speed. A 747 cruising with 350 passengers at 530 mph is achieving over 50 miles to the gallon per passenger. But if you deviate from that ideal rpm, the power drops while the fuel flow changes very little. So, for instance, at slow speed, on final approach or at take off, your turbine acts like a real gas guzzler. And with most small airplanes that is a problem: Safety commands that you would have plenty of time to fight a head wind, fly to an alternate or simply to go around another missed approach. This was so true in the late forties that the US Navy seriously discarded the jet aircraft for many years and played with hybrids instead: Planes with a piston engine in front and a turbojet in the back. Without much success of course. This defect of the turbine is less important in two cases: a). If the plane is big enough to carry a lot of extra fuel. A Pilatus or King Air 200, for instance, compared with a Piper Meridien. b). If the plane doesn’t need much range but does need extra performance: an aerobatics plane or a racer are the typical examples. This is why you may notice that most commercial turbos are of 600HP and over, and also experimental aerobatics planes with a 200HP mini turbo. And this is why we say that the future of aero diesel is in the 100-450HP range. posted by Deena at 2:53 PM News of January 04, 2006Cessna 182 SMA conversion: FAA STC is imminentThe conversion of Cessna 182Q and later models to diesel using the SMA 305 230HP engine has been in process of certification with FAA for quite some time. THe main cause of delays had to do with minor modifications of the FADEC shielding function. It appears that all FAA requests have been satisfied and that we can expect final certification anytime now. This should trigger several orders and options presently on hold. posted by Deena at 1:59 AM |
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