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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 April 12, 2007DieselAir Aircraft Conversions, Inc. (DACI) incorporated in Atlanta GA to sell Cessna 182s converted with the SMA engine.Atlanta, April 11, 2007 - We interviewed yesterday Leonard R. Harris, CEO and major stockholder of DieselAir Aircraft Conversions, Inc. (DACI), the new venture which he incorporated in April with a group of investors. 'What is news is this, Leonard told us. We came back from France last week-end, where we had a meeting with Luc Pelon, CEO of SMA Engines in Villaroche, France and his management team, and with Patrick Canivet, CEO of FlyJetA LLC in Sarasota FL. FlyJEtA is fully licensed by SMA to convert Cessna 182s with the SMA engine, propeller and instruments package, and to service them. As your readers know, SMA manufactures a 230HP 4-cyl O-305 diesel engine which is certified worldwide including by FAA. The Conversions of Cessna 182s Models M, N, P, Q, R and S have received an STC from FAA last winter. During this meeting, we signed a contract with FlyJetA to sell converted and refurbished 182s in the eastern half of the US. We are organizing ourselves to make the first deliveries in late 2007, and are inviting inquiries. We will be present at the Sun n’ Fun and Oshkosh air shows on the SMA booth to make contacts with the first interested buyers.' 'At this time, he says, a private pilot who wants to buy in the US and operate himself a diesel airplane still has very little choice on the US market of fully certified diesel airplanes, and will not have much more choice for some time. We think that what we offer is unbeatable now: A Cessna 182 SMA flies higher, faster and much longer than your regular 182. Its engine has 70% less moving parts than the regular O-470 or 540. It offers all the advantages of diesel: no more fear of running out of fuel, no more fire hazard, no more loss of engine because of ignition plugs, magnetos, circuitry…' 'Why do you say: No more risks of running out of fuel?' 'Because, in case of emergency, a 182 diesel flying close to best glide speed is using so little fuel that even your legal reserves can be extended to much farther than your nearest airport anywhere in the continental USA.' 'At what price are you offering your product?' 'Do note that we sell airplanes, not diesel conversions. We offer a standard package for a fully refurbished 182: Corrosion inspection, new paint, new leather interior, state of the art basic Garmin 430 GPS and KX 155 NavCom, refurbished Auto-Pilot and original equipment/instruments, and the SMA package meaning a brand new plane in front of the firewall including engine mount, turbocharged engine, propeller, heat exchangers, FADEC, vacuum pump, plus the new diesel engine and propeller instruments, all this for $250,000 plus sales tax.' 'When can we place an order?' 'Beginning at Sun n Fun next week we are inviting options to buy, with a fully refundable down payment if we fail to deliver on time. Business will operate on a first come first served basis. We are organizing to have a regular flow of used 182s, often with engine or propeller trouble or at TBO, available for sale. We will purchase them and manage our business to match planes for sale and available and buyers having signed on the dotted line. The time span between placing a firm order and taking off with your plane will be around 4 months, beginning on September 1st.' 'Can the buyer get financing and insurance?' 'Since the 182 is STCd, we can organize financing at usual terms prevailing today, and he will get insured just as easily as for a regular Cessna.' 'What will you do when there will be no more 182s available?' 'That will take quite some time. There are some 20,000 182s flying in the world, because it is simply the most reliable, practical, economical and effective true IFR four-seater on the market yet. They have a proven resale value which will increase with diesel. Do not forget we are in the US, with a lot of destinations accessible through a grass strip, on which your modern all-composite fixed-gear planes cannot land, but where a Cessna high-wing is ideal. A 182 diesel flies at close to 150 knots at 12,000 feet: To fly significantly faster than that, you need big bucks. However we will eventually offer other converted planes with other engines, but not before a few years: We want to concentrate now on providing an excellent product based on the 182.' Leonard is a popular figure at Peachtree-Dekalb (PDK) Airport. His firm has been selling pilot gear, aircraft components and instruments, flying lessons, used airplanes, and operating single-engine planes at PDK since 1996. He is himself an experienced commercial pilot with over 3,000 hours flying time. He is also an experienced crop-duster and has ideas about what diesel will bring to that. Glenn L. Stephenson, New York State Attorney at Law with special experience in industrial property, is the legal counsel and a stockholder in the new venture. Andre R. Teissier-duCros, DieselAir Newsletter Publisher, is acting as Technical Consultant. DACI address: Leonard R. Harris, CEO. DieselAir Aircraft Conversions, Inc. 1954 Airport Road, Suite 62, Atlanta, Georgia 30341. Tel: 678-641-7880. For more information, go to DACI website by clicking here. posted at 1:57 PM |
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