Diamond Aircraft has clinched European certification for a third engine to power in-service versions of its DA42 TDI turbo diesel piston twin. US approval for the four-cylinder114 kW (155 hp) engine is pending.
The Continental Diesel CD-155 will be available as a replacement for the 500 TAE Centurion-125-powered version of the four-seat aircraft. Other retrofit options are the Austro AE300 – manufactured by Diamond's Austro Engines subsidiary – and the Lycoming IO-360, although this option is only available through Diamond’s Canadian facility in London, Ontario.
“It is very important to offer our customers possibilities to maintain the value of their aircraft. Particularly for those who have purchased their plane before 2009 [when the TDI variant was replaced],” says Christian Dries, chief executive of Diamond Aircraft Austria.
The FADEC-controlled CD-155 can run on either jet fuel or diesel, or any mixture of the two, according to Continental, at a rate of about 5 USgal/h (19litres/h). It is approved for use with a three-blade variable-pitch propeller.
Source: Flight International
