Corking stuff and a good Valentines Day present too 🙂

What would be really good would be to have a pilot’s eye view with fixed cameras inside the cockpit. Then we could all see what THT, Dodge and Airbedane experience. Me jealous? Almost definately!

An interesting engine, have a look at http://www.zoche.de

Best regards,

Mathieu

..whcih at this rate won’t ever make it into production! AIUI the bloke likes to fiddle too much.

The % gap between mogas and avgas has been growing over past 15 years from the scant evidence I have seen, so why has this happened?

Yes the aircraft out there are primarily being powered by a 140hp converted Merc A-Class engine. Thielert (German!!!) are the people who take the engine, convert it, fit reduction gearing and sell them on with certification. Thielert’s coup de gras was to produce a stable and lightweight reduction gearing.

Look here for more gen:

http://www.centurion-engines.com/

Retrofit is an expensive business though and largely impracticable. This is why the larger displacement SNECMA/Safran engine (230hp) will probably fail to materialise. However having said that, if 100LL AVGAS gets withdrawn, both GA and historic types are shafted. GA could though hunt go for these new powerplants and economics would drive the cost down. But I’m dreaming.

Placing these new engines on new aircraft is more popular. Diamond Aircraft produce a increasingly popular range of modern plastic aircraft fitted with Centurions (http://www.diamond-air.at). There are presently for example 13 DA42s twins on the G-reg and their DA40 single offers it as an option. Centurions are fitted to other types as new e.g. Robin, but as yet are not selling as well or if at all.

The driving factor in all this is either the US where most GA types are made and sold, or flight-training organisations who are the main punters for the DA42. Formerly AVGAS fuel has traditionally been cheaper though with current market conditions, Americans are paying nearer $4/gall rather than nearer $2 a few years back. Bully for them! They now know what it feels like to be a pilot over this side of the Atlantic. There has to be a point where fuel costs so much in the US, that someone will produce a diesel engine range with power outputs similar to Lycoming (say 120-230hp) and complete directly.

Oh weight – yes they are heavier but is largely offset by Jet fuel, which these diesels run on, being lighter than AVGAS.

One caveat – diesels run a lot hotter than petrol engines so traditonal air-cooling methods requires lots of draggy ducting. But the cooling solution, imho, might just need better engineering.

Oh no, the wicked daughter is real and speaks!

JDK, you are as always a prince amongst men on this forum. Another big gold star for your exercise book. 😎

Another scupper – someone may also pipe up about advertising private flights over the internet too 😉 😉