Order Book Is Open And Production Is Underway

EASA has certified The 155 hp Centurion 2.0s power pack for retrofit into the Diamond DA40 TDI. The engine can be installed as a direct replacement for the Centurion 1.7 or Centurion 2.0 (both 135 hp mills) under the DA40s existing cowling. Diamond DA40 operators using a Centurion engine can now choose between two replacement engines: the well-known, fuel-efficient Centurion 2.0 and the more powerful Centurion 2.0s.

EASA authorized the retrofit at the beginning of September 2011, and production of the new Centurion product has already been launched. Orders are being accepted now, and deliveries are expected to begin by the end of November. The Diamond DA40 is the third aircraft model — after the Cessna 172 and Robin DR400 — that can be equipped with the Centurion 2.0s. Certification for the Piper PA-28 is expected soon.

The Centurion 2.0s is a more powerful version of the Centurion 2.0. It has identical weight and dimensions as the 135 hp model, but offers 20 more horsepower. At 100 percent load, the DA40 with the engine upgrade can reach a top cruising speed of 148 KTAS through 8,000 ft. The average fuel consumption during flight is just under 6 gallons (US) per hour at a speed of 128 KTAS (70% power @ 6,000 ft.). The airplane equipped with the new engine will climb at 800 ft/min through 6,000 feet, and comes off the runway in just over 1,000 feet. The range with a standard 28 US gallon tank is 475 NM (all values with MTOW and standard ISA). The maximum takeoff weight is 2,535 pounds.

Like all aircraft equipped with a Centurion engine, the DA40 also has a fully electronic engine and propeller control system with single-lever control. The time between replacement (TBR) for the Centurion 2.0s is currently still 1,200 flight hours. The goal is to extend the TBR to 1,500 hours, as it is the case for the Centurion 2.0.

Centurion is also pursuing additional plans for the Centurion 2.0s. Certification of the 155 hp version for the Piper PA-28 is already being pursued. “With the market launch of the Centurion 1.7 in 2002, we provided the decisive stimulus for the development of alternative propulsion systems for small aircraft. So far, the currently series-produced Centurion 2.0 and Centurion 2.0s successor models account for 1.4 million flight hours. In sum, well over 3,000 Centurion engines have been delivered so far,” said Centurion’s CEO Jasper M. Wolffson.

FMI: www.centurion.aero