More Details Coming Later This Year, Says Planemaker

Are there more diesel-powered Skyhawks, Skylanes and Stationairs in the offing? Cessna Aircraft Company announced Wednesday it has reached agreement with Germany's Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH to collaborate on future programs centered on the Thielert diesel engine. Details are scheduled to be announced later this year.

"We think the Thielert engine may provide a very worthwhile power option for many of our customers since it runs on jet fuel and diesel," said Cessna Vice President, Worldwide Propeller Aircraft Sales John Doman. "We have had discussions with Frank Thielert and his group for some time, and we think the time is right to move forward."

Thielert has won several European certifications since 2002 for retrofitting diesel engines into Cessna aircraft. As ANN reported, a supplemental type certificate (STC) for retrofitting the Cessna 172 was granted in March 2007 by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

The German enginemaker already offers Centurion diesel powerplants for new Cessna 172s, installed by Arlington, TX-based Van Bortel Aircraft. Van Bortel replaces the conventional engines in new planes, with Cessna's support.

Diesel engines feature low fuel consumption, electronic engine control systems, and improved hot-and-high engine performance over avgas-powered piston engines.

"We have a number of products that are of interest to Cessna and we are excited to be moving forward in our relationship," said Frank Thielert, CEO of Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH. "The benefits are documented, so we have great confidence the customers of Cessna would be pleased with the savings and reliability."

FMI: www.cessna.com, www.thielert.com