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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.In 1998, one diesel engine flew on a converted airplane for the first time since 1945. Today, close to 4,000 singles and twins are flying. This is the beginning of a worldwide trend which will eventually allow a rebirth of the piston-engined aircraft, around new specs and new missions. DieselAir Research, Inc., the publisher of The DieselAir Newsletter, offers strategic intelligence services to the aircraft industry, its suppliers and its customers who ambition to benefit from this global change of paradigm which will mean new markets, new concepts, new services, new materials and components… You may be interested in our services if your firm designs and/or manufactures aircraft and components, aero engines, avionics, propellers and engine components, fuel systems or additives, advanced materials, or industry specific machinery for manufacturing of these; or provides aviation services such as fuel production or distribution; flight training, aircraft chartering, maintenance and operations (FBO’s); or airport management and design, traffic control, hangar, materials handling and storage equipment; or consulting and financial services for these industries; or advertising, sales promotion, trade shows, specialized publications. To know more, send a confidential email inquiry to Dr. Eng. André Teissier-duCros at atc@geanoverseas.com News of October 22, 2005Alan Klapmeier, Cirrus Design's President, comments on dieselI had a chance to ask questions and briefly interview Alan Klapmeier, the famous CEO and founder of Cirrus Design, today the General Aviation aircraft which sells the most in the US and worldwide. By pure chance, I had flown as co-pilot in a Cirrus SR22 from Atlanta to New York and back the day before and had my questions ready to,lsten to his presentation at the Atlanta Aero-Club on 10/21. My assessment is that the Cirrus is a fantastic plane, in which the only technology that can be called obsolete is the engine... Notably I was impressed by the Engine Management System integrated in the glass panel, and by the fact that normal procedure supposes setting a lean-of-peak regime which is confirmed by a graphic representation of EGT in each cylinder, showing in real time the consequences of mixture setting. It made me think of what a steam engine operation would look like if, in the days of the railroad steam engined locomotives, we had had graphic representation of the pressure condition in each cylinder during each cycle. Railroad steam engine drivers would have loved that... But they were replaced by diesels. Alan confirmed that they have talks in progress with SMA regarding a Cirrus diesel, and was impressed by the quality and seriousness of the firm as a potential supplier. He also said he had tested in flight the Diamond DA40 diesel and found it impressive. In his opinion, engine starts at very cold temperature still were a problem. Diesel is coming, "but not quite ready yet"... His presentation completely converted me to the parachute concept, on which I was skeptical until now; in fact, the fool-proof idea behind this technology fits well with what diesel engines bring, which go way beyond savings on cost of fuel as most pilots still think. More on this later. posted at 10:26 AM |
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