Revolutionary, Two-Stroke, Uniflow Engine Will Bring The Operational Benefits Of Diesel Power To A Wider Variety Of Light Aircraft
Timothy T. (Tim) Archer, Group CEO, Superior Aviation Group announced today that the company has acquired the Gemini Diesel engine and has begun active development of the current engines, as well as planning the introduction of new models.
“Since the company’s inception, Superior Air Parts has grown on its ability to supply high-quality, fairly priced piston engines and components that meet the needs of our customers around the world,” Archer said. “Adding the new Gemini Diesel engine to our product family is just the next set in our continuing efforts to provide the right engine solution at the right time and price.”
Archer said that because of its unique, uniflow design featuring two-opposing-pistons-per-cylinder, the Gemini will be smaller than many current gasoline and diesel piston engines, giving it a significant power-to-weight ratio advantage and making it especially attractive to the experimental and LSA markets initially.
“There are basically two reasons why we chose to offer the Gemini Diesel to the experimental and LSA markets first,” stated Scott Hayes, Superior’s V.P., Sales & Marketing. “Number one was the fact that the 100-horsepower, Gemini 100 is much further along in its development cycle.”
“The second is that over the years many of the manufacturers of these kit and LSA aircraft have become dissatisfied with the current engine options and have asked us about developing a new-generation, alternatively fueled engine that delivers the same innovation, quality and value that is found in our experimental XP-Series and FAA certificated Vantage Engines,” he said. “Our commitment is to meet those goals and more with the new Gemini Diesel engine series.”
“We have already had preliminary discussions with manufacturers representing a variety of experimental and LSA aircraft,” Archer said. “The most common question everyone asks is; how soon can we get one?”
“We are very excited to say that the Gemini 100 is currently running in the test cell,” he said. “The engine is meeting all of our performance goals and right now we anticipate having pre-production engines within 90-days.”
The Gemini Diesel offers a number of advantages over current diesel and piston engines, including:
- Jet A is a global fuel solution with better availability, quality, consistency and pricing
- Operators can fly the same range as a standard engine on less fuel
- High power-to-weight ratio
- Highly efficient, two-stroke power
- Higher engine torque at lower RPM
- Projected to have up to 20% lower fuel burn than conventional engines
- Mechanically simpler design, with fewer moving parts
- Retrofittable with many current piston engine designs
- Greener operations with much lower emissions
- Uniflow design enables easier engine model expansion
- Planned horsepower ranging from 100 to 500+