Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/194874
the quality of the engine improved. 2008 was crucial for Thielert because in that year Thielert and Diamond Aircraft definitively "divorced." Prior to that, Diamond was using only Thielert diesel engines. Shortly after that disunion, Diamond started its own engine production based on the same Mercedes car engine, but that is another story. By mid-2008 Cessna was planning to install the Centurion 2.0 engine in the new Skyhawk 172S. Those plans were suspended after the TAE bankruptcy. Certified installations of Centurion 2.0 engines are now available for the Cessna 172, Piper PA-28, Diamond DA40 TDI, and DA42 Twin Star, and recently the French-made Robin DR400 Ecoflyer Remorqueur, equipped with the Centurion 2.0, just obtained certification for towing operations. The Centurion 4.0 eight-cylinder engine is offered as an assembly kit and is certified for different models of Cessna 206. During EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013, the German company Flight Design announced that it will use the Continental Centurion 2.0 diesel engine in its new C4 fourseat project. According to the recent manufacturer's statement, the annual utilization of each Centurion engine is over 250 hours; that is nearly three times higher than the overall average in GA. The users of Centurion engines reported more than 3.5 million cumulative flying hours to TAE by the end of 2012. The financial situation of TAE stabilized significantly in 2009 after General Atomics ordered engines for UAV production. The Centurion 2.0 is a four-stroke diesel engine with four in-line cylinders, each with four valves. It is turbocharged and equipped with common rail direct injection. Like modern car engines, it is liquid-cooled, has a completely electronic engine and propeller control unit, a wet-sump oil system, as well as a reduction gearbox with a ratio of i = 1.69:1. The Centurion 2.0 is certified by EASA and FAA and is offered as a preassembled firewall-forward kit. Time between replacement is 1,200 hours. Continental is currently working with several kit manufacturers who anticipate using the Centurion 2.0 and 2.0s engine. Airplane builders interested in using the engine should call their kit manufacturer. Pricing has not been established, however once a kit is available, pricing will be confirmed. According to Continental, the Centurion 4.0 is currently in design and review and not available at this time. As originally designed, the engine is V-arrangement with eight cylinders, each with four valves. It is twin-turbocharged and equipped with common rail direct injection. In addition, it is liquid-cooled, has a completely electronic engine and propeller control unit, a wet sump oil system, as well as a reduction gearbox with a ratio of i = 1.69:1. Dependent on the airframe, the Centurion 4.0 can deliver up to 350 hp. For more information, visit this website. Correction to the September Issue In the September issue's Under the Cowl column we inadvertently ran a photo of a Jabiru engine in conjunction with copy describing the Corvair engine. This photos show a Corvair engine; the controversial Corvair automobile is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Corvair aero conversions have been around nearly as long. New parts for the opposed air-cooled sixes are still manufactured, and there is a large contingent of worthy supporters and developers who have made these engines both affordable and bulletproof, and who continue to support them with a high level of expertise and experience. Corvair owners are part of a tight family, encouraging seminars and hands-on participation, reflective of the roots of EAA. www.FlyCorvair.com This is a Jabiru engine. The lightweight Australian Jabiru's 2200 four-cylinder ($15,500) and 3300 six-cylinder ($19,900) billet-machined, direct-drive, carbureted four-strokes continue to permeate the LSA and experimental markets, in their respective 85- and 120-hp sizes. www.USJabiru.com EAA Experimenter 33