 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
When will a diesel be available for my aircraft? |
|
News, facts, and comments on the coming revolution for piston-engine aircraft.News of August 22, 2007Oshkosh season: Of Facts and Rumors around the Diamond Air family of diesel aircraft. Part ThreeWe continue our story with the interview of Christian Dries CEO of Diamond Air, and our conclusions. Christian Dries (CD) agreed with most of the facts as stated by Diamond customers, and stated that Diamond was now very active at proposing solutions to British and French operators. But, to answer Frank Thielert, he also added: CD: 'The main problem is that Thielert is dramatically late in delivering spare parts. I agree that most of the time a quick replacement of a faulty spare part or of a part coming at TBO prevents grounding the plane and eliminates any potential crisis. A typical recurring case is the gearbox. Such delays were, in my opinion, a consequence of Thielert financial problems, which were solved only recently through a capital increase as you mention. Meanwhile, backlog of spare parts requests, and also of new engines, has been building up; it will now take quite some time to absorb it: After several rescheduling of deliveries Thielert is right now (August 07) again late on delivery of engines on order. At this time, Diamond is compelled to impose an unacceptable waiting list to any potential buyer of a new diesel aircraft. We have seen this problem building up as sales were growing: We have produced 480 twins, and are now producing 220 twins per year despite such delays, and could do more. This is the main reason why we are investing in our own engine factory and developing our own engines at least as an engine option that can be retrofitted on older Thielert equipped planes.' CD also says: 'I believe that the main reason why you do not hear reports from Cessna 172 or Piper Warrior owners is because they often are isolated private pilots flying their own planes with very low flying times, so they run into the same kind of problem much later; also one can expect that they do not react as fast as a flight academy which has several aircraft grounded and cannot service its own students. I do report that there were two cases of a broken propeller shaft, fortunately with no dramatic consequences and I have available all accident data if requested. The latest engine defect reported to us was two months ago: a hole in a piston, in Germany.' We asked Christian Dries what action was planned to satisfy present customers. He says: 'We are indeed negotiating right now with individual operators and with one British group jointly with Thielert and I follow these talks personally. We are determined to find a mutually satisfactory solution. But meanwhile we must plan our own future so as to avoid such situations.' Regarding the new engine project and its certification: CD: 'The engine is derived from a 2 liter (122 c. i.) Mercedes Benz block, so that we started the same way than Thielert did. But our technical options are very different: Ours delivers at least 170HP (176 with autodiesel fuel). Our cylinder head and combustion chamber design are different. Our injection pump system, same as Thielert, uses high pressure and Common Rail but that is the sole similarity: Our design is entirely new. We accepted a higher weight than Thielert (around 80 Lbs.) but our more efficient combustion allows not only for more power (170HP instead of 135) but also for 20% less specific fuel consumption than with the Thielert engine, which means that we can ultimately save 33 Lbs. on payload for the maximal range allowed on the old version, while flying faster. We confidently expect that the maximal take-off weight will be increased by 100 Lbs for the DA 40 and 160 Lbs for the DA42 so that overall performance will be superior. Our gearbox design is completely new: We eliminated the risk that the FADEC system would shut down both engines in any emergency thanks to an independent constant speed prop monitor activated by its own stepping motor. Our engine delivers 100% nominal power up to 12,000 ft and 90% up to 18,000 ft, meaning we confidently expect a maximal cruise speed of 170 knots on the DA 40 and 200 on the DA 42. The engine is flying now on a DA40 prototype, and the DA42 version will fly in September. Our DA50 light version will use the same engine. And the main point is that, even though our main goal is to OEM our engine on our planes, we can also retrofit our new engine on any Diamond diesel aircraft produced since the origin.' On the certification process, CD says: 'The EASA (European) certification process is running since 06. We foresee that by May 08 we should be ready, with the US FAA certification following shortly afterwards.' Frank Thielert had an occasion to answer these statements. He recognized that there have been some delay problems, but not to the extent stated here; that many of them are due to a lack of reliable delivery schedule agreed between vendor and customer, and that deliveries are disrupted by last minute changes or new requests. All these sound very familiar in a situation in which a new family of products (the Diamond range) offering many innovations and meeting with success on the market, depend on a component technology (Thielert engine) which is innovative in nature. Conclusions: It seems to me that both Diamond Air and Thielert Motoren are victims of success: After decades of incubation, the aerodiesel market has suddenly taken off, backlogs have built up, and early bugs, unavoidable in any new engineering design, have provoked a fast build up of service problems. Delays in addressing them have turned minor incidents into horror stories. All parties, even disgruntled customers, agree on many issues, which mean a brilliant future for aerodiesels. Diesel aircraft is here to stay. There is no other alternative if the private branch of piston engined, small aircraft in General Aviation is to develop again and address new needs worldwide, especially in countries which are dependent on General Aviation as basic service. Thielert is a pioneer, and ran into minor design problems, none of which put in question its basic concept. We can expect that by now all of them have a solution that can be retrofitted on all their engines. These problems have provoked customer service crises. We could expect that, in such a situation, a dispute would flare between Diamond and Thielert because we know by experience that tracing a technical bug to its fundamental cause is tricky, and when working under emergency conditions the component vendor and the OEM product manufacturer will find numerous occasions to put in good faith the blame on the other party; this all the more that disputes of that nature are discussed by design engineers who are among the most stubborn people in the world when trying to make their point. Diamond attempt in developing an engine seems realistic, with a question mark on weight per HP, as always with new engines. If Diamond does succeed in developing their range of engines that can be retrofitted to older products, does offer better performance and does obtain certifications soon, one could hope that this effort will either mean than another engine vendor become available, or that an agreement will be found at a later date with Thielert reconsolidating production. However we see a major setback: How will Cirrus, Cessna and Piper accept to deal with Diamond Motors as an alternative to Thielert when Diamond is becoming a full-size competitor on their most sensitive markets? And in such a case I don’t see how Diamond Motors can survive as a captive manufacturer with Diamond Air as sole customer. Both Diamond Air and Thielert Motoren act like serious, committed manufacturers which are here to stay. We can imagine many customers dissatisfaction right now, but also recognize that both firms talk responsibly and make sense in their plans to satisfy the market. Both Thielert and Diamond engines are In-Line, liquid cooled, geared engines. The context of this dispute will give ammunition to engine manufacturers offering non-geared, Opposite Piston, air/oil cooled engines, or offering 2-stroke engines. So the field remains open. After all, the two fastest piston engine airplanes ever made, and the most successful WW2 fighter planes, were already illustrating a competition between air-cooled, no gear, radial engines; and liquid cooled, geared, in-line ones. As well, the most fuel efficient piston engines ever made, the diesel Junkers Jumo, were 2-stroke diesels. The aerodiesel market still is in infancy. All competitors are making progress. Limitations imposed by certifications will gradually be lifted. Thielert will be allowed to increase TBOs. SMA will be allowed to fly higher than 12,500 ft and will increase its power. DeltaHawk will demonstrate that a 2-stroke engine can offer a serious TBO. More profitable market niche situations will be discovered for retrofits. Etc. Andre Teissier du Cros, DieselAir Newsletter, August 07. posted by Deena at 5:37 AM News of August 19, 2007Oshkosh season: Of Facts and Rumors around the Diamond Air family of diesel aircraft. Part TwoWe have solicited interviews with Diamond Air and Thielert Motoren. Chief Executive Officers Frank Thielert (FT) and Christian Dries (CD) were accessible, and we quote here their feedback as appropriate, beginning with Frank Thielert. FT. 'I know there was a meeting of British Diamond customers who are a little unlucky with downtimes which affect their business. A colleague of mine was there as a representative. The coolers used by Diamond have had corrosive effects causing damages to some engine parts. The corrosion issue (on cylinder head) occurred only on Diamonds and was connected to Diamonds decision to choose another cooler supplier than the one we recommended. But this problem took place years ago, on the older 1.7 liter engine, and is now solved. Diamond has published a Service Bulletin regarding this. Currently we deliver the Centurion 2.0 engines as kits to Diamond, to be mounted only with parts and consumables which we approved.' Regarding rumors of broken prop shaft, TF says: 'We have a gearbox designed as an integrated engine subsystem. It is not connected to the engine coolant, so it cannot be exposed to the coolant fluid. We have absolutely no report of any broken shaft; if that happened, it would be a very serious issue.' Regarding broken or damaged engine parts, he says: 'I have never heard about any camshaft problem. Once we had a case of a foreign object causing damage to a piston. Generally speaking these parts are highly reliable.' Regarding the gear and clutch system linking the crankcase to the propeller shaft: British customers complained about wear and tear and about a maintenance directive requesting an inspection and possible replacement every 300 hours. FT says: 'Some of the first serial production gearboxes have shown abnormal wear. Since then (2003-04) we have made further developments and undertaken several major revisions of the gearbox, and replaced all older gearboxes in Thielert-equipped aircrafts. At that time it meant less than 100 engines. Also we have seen abnormal wear which was caused by bad maintenance, typically a mechanics who forgets to change filters at oil change. The 300 hour inspection is imposed by the initial certification and will be extended as we demonstrate that the gear system consistently lasts longer if properly maintained. We expect the interval to be increased to 600hrs, and we are sure that all gearboxes will make that time.' Regarding reports on defects of oil pressure sensors. FT says: 'Yes, there was an issue with the oil pressure sensors. We have published a service bulletin and have changed all sensors. This is history now.' Regarding lack of response from Diamond Air customer service, FT says: 'We as engine manufacturer expand our service network all the time and now have 200 service centers trained with spare parts on stock. We cannot answer for Diamond, but did notice that in several cases minor incidents that can be fixed easily and quickly degenerate into a major issue because of lack of training at the end of the chain, whether it is a Diamond service shop or the operators own mechanics. We cannot insist too much on sticking exactly to the maintenance specs and to the instructions manual when inspecting and repairing. We have seen cases where we supported directly a Diamond customer through his maintenance problems and reduced downtime by 90%, see the Steve Read case to quote one. But there are also some complex cases: Thus, there was an accident on a DA42 in Germany with dual engine failure. That was caused by a total loss of the electrical system when retracting the gear. That case raised some disputes because there was a very long and complex chain of factors conditioning that accident. However, it ended up in two AD. We had to make a change in our installation handbook and a Diamond Air AD is about to prescribe installing an engine control back-up battery.' Regarding keeping an overall view and history of incidents and defects, FT says: 'In general, we have all events logged in the engine FADEC which helps us in nearly all cases to trace a problem. For example the logs proved that no accidents are directly caused by our engines. With over 500,000 flight hours we have a long track record on different aircraft and UAV types and can claim that the engines are more reliable than any other. If any of your readers witnesses a special issue with one of our engines and we obtain exact data (aircraft type, date, engine serial number, and nature of incident) we can match it with the full history we have for every engine in our database. Meanwhile we do notice that wild rumors are circulating which cannot be substantiated when we ask for specific data.' We mentioned to Frank Thielert that we havent heard of any incident coming from operators of Thielert-equipped Cessna 172s, Piper PA28s or others. Pipers and Cessnas represent the largest fleet, large enough for incidents pattern to become significant. FT says: 'We are very proud to hear that. Obviously Cessna Aircraft Company heard no negative rumor either which is why our cooperation with them is progressing fast.' Regarding Diamond Air new engine developed by their subsidiary Austro Engine, FT says: 'There is a very costly and long way from prototype to certification, so why make an announcement now for an engine which is not yet certified nor STCd on the plane model? It seems to me that the effect is to tell Diamond customers to hold back their decision to buy the plane until the hypothetical day at an uncertain date when the new, certified engine will effectively be available. Meanwhile this kind of message does hurt our business as supplier. But this is not the first time: Diamond Air did make similar announcements in the past, for instance regarding a 90HP rotary engine design they had acquired from Midwest Engines.' See in next story the interview of Christian Dries, CEO and main stockholder of Diamond Air, some late remarks from Frank Thielert, and our conclusion. Andre Teissier du Cros, DieselAir Newsletter, August 07. posted by Deena at 3:17 AM News of August 15, 2007Oshkosh season: Of Facts and Rumors around the Diamond Air family of diesel aircraft. Part OneDieselAir regularly receives messages of subscribers owning or operating diesel aircraft. Since several hundreds are now flying worldwide, one can detect recurring topics through messages expressing satisfaction, suggestions for improvements, and problems. As a rule we publish neither rumors nor opinions but try to stick to facts, and to intentions as expressed by vendors and manufacturers. The aero-diesel market is presently dominated by Thielert Motoren (Centurion, Germany) for the engines, with SMA (France) a distant number two and DeltaHawk (US) and Wilksch (UK) following; and, for diesel-equipped aircraft, by Diamond Air with its DA 40 single and DA 42 twin. The Thielert Motoren sales figure now runs at Euros 80mm p. a. The company is publicly traded with a market capitalization of Euros 500mm in June. The firm just raised 28mm equity through their last stock offering. Thielert has an OEM agreement with Diamond. The Thielert engine is now proposed by Cessna as an STCd option on the 172. We can expect the Thielert V8 to be STCd and proposed for the Cessna 206 within 2 years, and perhaps less; also on the Cirrus SR22. Several hundred Thielert 135 HP are flying today. The Cessna 172 Thielert retrofit is proposed in the US by EPIC Aviation, Africair and Cessna dealer Van Bortel. The SMA diesel is STCd on the Cessna 182 since January 07 but available only as a retrofit, and will certainly be STCd and available as an OEM on the Maule MX9 by end 07. We guestimate that some 50 SMAs are flying worldwide today. No other diesel solution is STCd in the US today but several are available on an Experimental basis. Recently, it appeared that several British customers, mostly fleet operators, are running into quality and service problems with their Diamond Air DA40 and 42 diesel airplanes. These aircraft are equipped with the Thielert 135HP. Mike Millen of Millen Aviation Services, a reputable FBO and flight academy and part of The Millen Corporation says he is preparing to take legal action to resolve this long running situation. We have no negative input from owners of Thielert equipped Cessna 172 or Piper Cherokee/Warrior which are the two main models on the retrofit market, nor of the few owners of the French Robin DR400 Ecofuel diesel. We have no negative signals from owners of Cessna 182SMA. For other engines or planes the numbers flying are not significant enough yet. It is clear anyway that reported problems are on Diamond aircraft singles and twins. The August 07 issue of the major French periodical Aviation et Pilote publishes a special report candidly talking of a major dispute between Thielert and Diamond Air, illustrated by the fact that Diamond Air is openly advertising their prototype of a diesel engine developed jointly with MB Motoren (Mercedes Benz engine research division). The French owners deal through Aerosport, the Diamond Air importer and distributor in France, who is said to be compelled coordinating complaints regarding customer service and has an overview on all incidents in France. The French customers, according to the periodical, report the same kind of trouble than the British, with more reports on the twin-engine DA 42. The recurring topic in these British and French stories sounds like a lack of responsiveness from Diamond’s customer service. Since many of them operate DA 40s as trainers, meaning a rather intensive flying time, this means much too much downtime for aircraft which may be grounded only for a minor problem. One factor seems that the early Thielert 1.7 liter, on Diamond aircraft, was cooled with a refrigerating liquid which was not the one prescribed by Thielert and was too corrosive. Thielert reports that this has caused pitting corrosion on engine parts, and therefore breakdowns without dramatic consequences. We have therefore solicited interviews with Diamond Air and Thielert Motoren. Chief Executive Officers Frank Thielert (FT) and Christian Dries (CD) were accessible, and we will publish their interviews. See our next story with the first of them. Andre Teissier du Cros, DieselAir Newsletter, August 07. posted by Deena at 6:27 AM News of August 10, 2007Is there head-on competition between Thielert and SMA?US Medias reporting on press conferences given by Frank Thielert and Luc Pelon (CEO of SMA Engines) at Air Venture talk about a head-on competition between the two main diesel manufacturers seeking market share. We do not agree at all. The two firms are playing a Go-game in which each player establishes a territory where the other leaves a vacuum, the fight to create territory always being a race to get certified, not a me-too competition against the other supplier. Thielert is leading without question thanks to its OEM position with Diamond Air, presently by far the biggest manufacturer of diesel aircraft. It also offers today the only certified conversion for the Cessna 172, the most common airplane in flight academies; and the number of European flight academies proposing to learn to fly on a 172 diesel is growing. But Thielert has no plans, said Frank Thielert, to extend its present catalogue: 135HP and 350HP. SMA is carving a niche with the Cessna 182 converted with their 230HP diesel, is preparing another one with Maule (itself a niche manufacturer), is assisting work on other conversions, and has no plans to propose either a smaller or a bigger engine. Both firms of course are capable of developing the engine with a power matching the competitor. But they are right not to treat such a move as a priority because both must first promote the diesel concept through the certification processes and a history of satisfied owners of diesel aircraft. So one can bet that each of them wishes the other well, being the two main rowers in the very small boat of diesel aviation, and fearing that the other might "rock the boat"... posted by Deena at 12:34 AM Thielert Plans Increased U.S. Presence"We have no new engine models in the works," Frank Thielert said at EAA AirVenture on Tuesday morning. But a lot of work is under way to expand the U.S. service network, improve the TBR of the Centurion diesel engine and secure additional STCs so the engine can be mated with more airframes. "The trend is definitely toward diesel, especially in Europe," Thielert said. "We are certain that the diesel trend is real and right." When he flew into Paris Le Bourget several weeks ago, Thielert said there was no avgas available there, and it is the biggest GA airport in all of Europe. He said that as more engines are returned to the factory for replacement, each one is torn down and inspected, and as the database builds up, that statistical information about engine wear can support a change in TBR. Currently the engines are replaced after 1,000 hours of use. Thielert also said that all future deliveries of the Centurion will be as complete firewall-forward kits. Systems are very complex, he said, and by delivering entire systems he believes they can avoid interface problems like the battery issue that caused an engine failure and prompted an AD for the DA42 Twin Star recently. (AVWeb 7/24/07) During his AirVenture conference, Frank Thielert said: "In addition to well-known OEM applications with Diamond Aircraft, Centurion engines are currently available in fitments for Cessna 172N, Piper PA28-161, Cessna 206, and Cessna 340." When asked about a possible firewall-forward kit for the Piper PA46 Malibu airframe, Thielert responded “Why not? But that’s the answer for today. I cannot discuss it further.” (Aero-News Network 7/25/07) posted by Deena at 12:23 AM Maule M9-230 Diesel Makes First Oshkosh Appearance. Aircraft Specializes In Off-Airport EfficiencyMaule Air's M9-230/235 made it to Oshkosh this year, and in near-final form. The M9, which will be available with four engine options, has been strengthened and has had a redesigned wing root since the original prototype appeared in 2003. Company owner Ray Maule says the M9 is still undergoing some testing, as the wing will have to prove its strength at carrying 3100 pounds, an increase from the original goal of 2800. The four place tail-dragger continues the tradition of Maule off-airport excellence while offering some desired options and creature comforts. Among engine options for the M9 are a fuel-injected or carbureted (your choice) Lycoming O-540 with 235 horsepower, a Lycoming IO-540 with 260 horsepower, and the SMA SR305 230HP turbocharged diesel engine. The benefits of the diesel are clear when one looks at the performance numbers. "The plane burns eight and a half gallons per hour at 158 miles per hour (138 knots)," explains Ray Maule. With fuel prices on the rise, diesels may be the future of small general aviation aircraft. The availability of Jet A is also a plus for the Maule, as it will be operating in remote locations where 100LL may not be available. While there are plans to eventually offer a tricycle gear version of the aircraft, the diesel shape means Maule is going to have to engineer a new nose gear to accommodate it... so for now the M9 is strictly a taildragger. Maule Air has been working hard for several years on getting the M9 certified, with an on-going assistance from SMA. The date set as a goal of certification is early 2008. Proposed prices range from $200,000 for the O-540-equipped base model to $250,000 for the diesel-powered version. Avionics in the current diesel prototype include a Sagem glass cockpit, which will be an option on the production aircraft. The same interior and avionics options will be available for the M9 that are currently available for all production Maule aircraft. To accommodate an increased weight of 3,100 pounds, the gear will be beefed up to take the extra strain. The useful load is expected to be 1,100 pounds with wheels, and with amphibious floats, which will be an option in the near future, useful load would come in at just under 1,000 pounds. With the higher gross weight, Ray Maule assumes the rate of climb will decrease slightly. Maule Air currently builds about 50 aircraft a year... and while Maule has built as many as 100 aircraft in one year, Ray Maule is not sure of production numbers for the M9 models. The standard Maule training program will be available for the M9 as well, and since the SMA SR305 diesel has different operational and emergency shutdown procedures compared to standard pistons, it is likely that Maule will have a special training program for the diesel engine. (Aero-News.net 7/24/07) posted by Deena at 12:16 AM |
Previous Posts
Cessna: The Thielert-Skyhawk is delayed. Archives
July 2002
|
