Kitplanes Newsline » diesel engines

DeltaHawk Engine Update

Omar Filipovic — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 02:19:21 +0000

DeltaHawk will be the first to admit they’ve been plodding along on the diesel engine certification project like…forever. Actually, it’s been 14 years. But they think they’ll have a production engine available this year. Here’s KITPLANES editor Marc Cook with an update.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_hyZBYiSvw

Powerplant Developments Reveals Partners

Amy Laboda — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Powerplant Developments Chief Executive Officer Tim T. Archer spoke at a press conference July 30 at AirVenture and revealed some tantalizing details about the company’s unique three-cylinder, six opposed piston, lightweight (156 pounds dry) diesel engine, which is under development for the general aviation market.

Archer admitted that the engine’s designer is Michael Daniels, who comes from a legacy of engine design through his company (and his father’s before his) Westlake. Daniels and Archer are two of four partners in the company. Westlake was involved in the development of projects such as the HEMI head for Chrysler. Archer also introduced Jamie Cupler, a consultant who is evaluating the company for a group of investors who could provide the seed money to fund the production of the Gemini 100 and 125 engines.

The Gemini line of engines evolved from Daniels’ diesel airship engine that had more than 2000 hours of run experience both on the ground and on airships before it was shelved when the Italian company developing it went bankrupt. That engine was redesigned with three cylinders, dropping quite a bit of weight in the process, and became the Gemini 100.

Powerplant Developments has recently rewritten its business plan because of interest in the engine from the marine and trucking industries. The U.K. based company is looking for a U.S. production facility for its complete engine line. Archer reiterated that even with its broadened product line, the company’s mission first and foremost is to produce a general aviation diesel engine.

Archer announced that the company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Italian aviation company TECNAM to test the 100-hp engine in the P92 Eaglet, an LSA, and the 125-hp engine is expected to be tested in TECNAM’s P2006T light twin.

SMA Diesel Engines Available for Experimentals

Amy Laboda — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:00:00 +0000

SMA, part of the SAFRAN Group, announced today that its diesel-burning engines are currently available in the new Maule M9, as well as for the Experimental Pulsar S300. The company is selling the engine to individual owners of other certified and non-certified aircraft (including the Piper Dakota and Cessna 182 and 206).

The SR 305-230 engine, with 230 horsepower, has proved itself in the Cessna 182 over nearly 12 years of operation as a more fuel-efficient alternative than the OEM Continental O-470. Its FADEC system and ability to burn Jet-A or diesel fuel make it particularly attractive to kit aircraft builders who are beginning to experience difficulty finding avgas, and especially for those who live in parts of the world where avgas has become unaffordable.

The SR 305-230 engine is not an inexpensive proposition for a kit builder, with price estimates for the engine running somewhere in the $75,000 range, according to SMA, but it is ready to ship today. Its performance, burning just 7.9 gph at 65% power, and long TBO (3000 hours), as well as the fact that it contains 70% fewer parts than the typical avgas-burning engine, are all attractive to builders. SMA is hoping that 12 years of developing its engine as an alternative fuel burner is about to pay off.