Offers DA42 Position Holders Incentives To Transfer Orders
In a customer communique sent hours after Diamond Aircraft
publicly announced
its intent to forego bidding for the assets of troubled
Thielert Aircraft Engines, the planemaker made it
clear it plans for a future without TAE powerplants in Diamond
planes.
But Diamond also said it continues to work to provide existing
customers flying behind Thielert diesels with the best support it
can, given the circumstances.
"As we expect no major improvements from TAE during the ongoing
insolvency, we are focusing our efforts to support Diamond
customers with TAE engines as best we can," Diamond wrote Friday.
"We are actively working on the technical challenges needed to be
able to manufacture and overhaul select TAE parts for the EASA STCs
we are pursuing."
Diamond reiterated it's actively pursuing a new diesel engine
option, in the form of the Austro Engines AE 300 currently in
certification testing... but admits that's little comfort to
current owners of Thielert-powered Diamonds, or for anyone still
waiting for their DA42s to be delivered.
"We are therefore working on the details of a program that will
combine a retrofit path to the AE 300 Austro Engines turbo-diesel
engine with some targeted financial support to assist with
non-covered warranty costs for the TAE engines until Austro Engine
retrofits are available," the planemaker said, adding it expects
availability of AE 300 retrofits for DA42s in the North American
market by fall 2009.
"We understand that our DA42 position holders are looking to
decide what to do with their investment in DA42 positions," Diamond
continued. "We are working on a program to enable DA42 position
holders to move their deposits to new DA42 NG (Austro engine, 170
hp dual turbo-diesel) or DA42 L360 (Lycoming, 180 hp IO-360 avgas
engines) orders, taking into account the loyalty of our customer
base, some of whom have been waiting for their DA42 for several
years."
The company also plans to offer Twin Star position holders
credit towards another Diamond aircraft. "Of course, should any
customer not want to transfer his or her order, we will offer an
option to get a deposit refund instead," the planemaker added.
Diamond says it will provide further updates on its plans at
Oshkosh.
"While all of us in the Diamond family -- customers, service
centers, distributors and Diamond Aircraft – are negatively
affected by the TAE insolvency to varying degrees, in the interest
of our customers and business partners we are doing our utmost to
make the best of a difficult situation," the planemaker concludes.
"We aspire to provide you with programs that will give you choices,
and a better opportunity to make the best out of the hand we all
have been dealt."