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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 September 14, 2007Good news on customer service and performance issues on aero diesel airplanesSince we published our special report on the Diamond-Thielert controversy, we must report some good news: we had several spontaneous reports from European owners of Thielert-equipped Diamond DA40 and Cessna 172, stating that they had had no significant problems with service and spare parts, were very happy with their purchase, and would remain loyal to diesel and to their airplane. This would confirm therefore that there is no basic vice either in the engine, or in the plane, or in the concept of aero diesel. As for the Cessna 182SMA, a very impressive report was published in Aviation et Pilote, a leading French General Aviation periodical. The author, Emmanuel Davidson, purchased a 182Q and converted it with the SMA diesel kit and has flown 300 hours with it. He gives (in French) a 6 page report on the maintenance costs and the performance. He is highly satisfied. Compared with his previous plane, a Wassmer 180HP, he reports that his 200h fuel cost has gone down from Euros 13,760 to 6,006! (Reminder: Jet fuel is much less expensive than Avgas in Europe). His only engine alert was his own fault: A start up conducted too hastily, provoking a red signal from the Electronic Control Unit. He mentions a range at 12,500 ft. of max. 1,470NM at best economy speed if you are patient enough to wait for 13 hours, and of 1,100 NM at 135 Knots (8 hours); this last figure against 817NM at 8,000 ft for a basic 182 at same speed. Superbly ignoring the FAA STC which limits altitude to 12,500 ft (we are in Europe), he reports a climb speed of still 275 ft/mn and a true calibrated speed of 157 Knots at 22,500 ft. He also says that because he got rid of the old and heavy ADF and DME, he finds himself with the same empty weight as the 182Q before conversion. He warns of the importance, as part of the conversion job, to remove the windshield and completely reinstall it with new seals and glue, because a slightly loose windshield gets in resonance with engine rpm and creates a vibration that must and can be eliminated. He reports a cruising speed of 144 Knots at 12,500 ft. At 8,000 ft, best cruise altitude of the basic 182, the cruise speed is exactly the same, which was demonstrated when two 182, one of them with the SMA conversion, flew the Atlantic together on their way to Oshkosh and back; but that the climb rate of the 182SMA was distinctly superior from MSL upwards. posted at 10:11 AM |
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