Larger Displacement Engine To Meet US Market Demand

European manufacturer Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH from Saxony, Germany has informed ANN its developing the successor to its successful kerosene piston aircraft engine Centurion 1.7 -- namely, the Centurion 2.0. Theilert says the new engine will replace the old for all future installations -- including customers replacing a Centurion 1.7 at the end of its service life.

Although Thielert has declined to release any performance data on the new engine, it says it has incorporated "various product enhancements..., including the increase in displacement aimed at meeting the requirements of the US market."

Thielert's Centurion 1.7 has played a major role in the company's success. It claims in excess of 1,500 Centurion 1.7 engines produced with 350,000 flight hours in a whole range of general aviation aircraft since it was first offered four years ago.

"In launching our new engine, we are demonstrating that our proven concept is also upwards compatible," says CEO Frank Thielert, explaining the strategy. "As already seen in the Centurion 1.7 and the Centurion 4.0, we have also utilized tried-and-tested technology in this development step and have allowed the ongoing improvements and innovations from automotive volume production to flow into our own development."

The Centurion 1.7 is an automotive engine modified for aviation use. The company says its engineers developed the cylinder block for the new engine to better satisfy the requirements of aviation applications. Among other improvements, Thielert says the Centurion 2.0 will have a flatter FADEC, a lighter cast gearbox housing, interfaces for glass cockpits, plus a new service tool that also allows the FADEC to be programmed in the field.

Dimensionally, the new engine is almost identical to the old, making it compatible "for the most part" with the existing Centurion 1.7 kit. According to Thielert, the engine mount, the cooling system and the FADEC engine control system from the old engine can be reused. That should make for an easy replacement for customers replacing a Centurion 1.7 at the end of its life-cycle. Thielert claims all that's required is an exchange of the wiring harness and ECU, as well as some modifications of the mounts and the hose system.

"The key advantage is the experience we gained from previous certification processes. We were able to utilize reliable data instead of assumptions," says Markus Steinberg, Head of Quality Assurance at Thielert. "The engine has already been certified by the European and US aviation authorities, in August and October 2006. At present, the Centurion 2.0 is certified for installation in all model ranges of the Cessna 172 in 40 countries," continues Steinberg. The Centurion 2.0 will be delivered as an installation kit to the aircraft manufacturer Diamond Aircraft Industries for installation in the company's DA40 TDI and DA42 Twin Star.

With the Centurion 2.0, Thielert is sticking to the premise of replacement rather than overhaul at the end of an engine's service life. As with the Centurion 1.7, Thielert hopes to extend time before replacement (TBR) to 2,400 hours or 12 years with a required inspection by the manufacturer after 1,200 hours. Currently, the Centurion 1.7 has a TBR of 1,000 hours.

Thielert's acquisition of Superior Air Parts last year sets the stage for the company's developing a sales and service network in the US. Thielert has also acquired aviation companies in Canada, France, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. The company's purchase of Airtime Aviation Ltd. at the start of this year gives it a further distributor for Great Britain as well as Flight Maintenance MFGZ in Switzerland.

Thielert claims 20 distributors worldwide.

FMI: www.thielert.com