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.