The Lycoming O-320 in my flying club’s Cessna 172 here in Germany is due for replacement soon and the club is seriously considering the Thielert Centurion engine as a replacement. The figures behind the considerations are as follows:
New Lycoming O-320:
Total costs € 23,000; approx. 23 litres of AVGAS 100LL per hour at €1.76; TBO 2000 hours; manufacturer’s/importer’s warranty 6 months (if you’re lucky)
Thielert Centurion:
Total costs incl. conversion € 35,000 (factory-new engine only is €24,000; no overhauled engines as expired units are scrapped); approx. 18 litres of JET-A1 at €1.56; TBO 2400 hours; manufacturer’s warranty 2400 hours or 12 years. It can also run on even cheaper diesel, but this is not realistic as very few airfields have a corresponding refuelling facility (and are not likely to get one either).
At a utilisation rate of about 300 hours per year, fuel costs should diminish by about €3,000 per year, with the extra investment in the Thielert unit recouped in about 3 years (if I remember all figures correctly).
In favour of the Thielert conversion:
– lower operating costs;
– less maintenance;
– less noise;
– simpler operation;
– no dependency on AVGAS
Against the Thielert unit:
– high initial investment;
– project still at an early stage; what happens if production is stopped (remember the Porsche aeroengine?)?
– only 135 hp available; some horror stories going around about this re lack of performance
I’ll let you know what it’s like if the club decides on the conversion…
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