Life Extension To 1,500 Hours Certified

Centurion is launching a 'service offensive' for the kerosene piston aircraft engines in its Centurion 2.0 series. The operational lifetime for this engine has been extended to 1,500 hours. Centurion has also arranged to bypass the 1,200 hour factory inspection. What that means for the owner is that the engines no longer have to be removed at 1,200 hours and sent back to the factory in Lichtenstein, Germany, it can now be conducted at all authorized Centurion service centers. The move will result in a significant reduction in the maintenance costs and AOG times of the aircraft, but Centurion is now looking to extend the operational lifetime to 1,800 hours for the Centurion 2.0.

"Our Lifetime Extension Program is now taking full effect. First the fuel feed pump, which is already at 1,200 hours; and now 1,500 hours for the engine and - most important - no factory inspection any longer," said Centurion CEO Jasper M. Wolffson. "For customers, this means a cost reduction in 1,200 hour service by over 7,000 Euros ($9000). Our fleet customers in particular are delighted with this progress."

The 1,200 hour maintenance interval more or less corresponds to 600-hour maintenance. In addition, it is also necessary to replace the V-ribbed belt, the oil thermostat screw plug, a number of hoses (depending on the aircraft type) and the coolant. The engine, however, no longer has to be removed and sent back to the production organization for inspection, as would have been necessary with the originally-planned factory inspection. This cuts out the cost of removing and refitting the engine along with the associated transport costs. The average labor time decreases on average from 14 down to around one hour, which means a significant reduction of the aircraft on ground (AOG) time.

With some 300 plus service centers, one of the largest service networks in General Aviation is available for Centurion engines with service centers on all continents. Centurion says over 2,600 of its engines are operating in various aircraft types, and have racked up more than 2 million flight hours.

FMI: www.centurion.aero