25 April 2013
Whenever Diamond Aircraft owner and CEO Christain Dries holds a press conference, the room is always packed, and today’s update was no exception. Christian kicked off with news of the company’s compact little rotary engine the AE80R.
The single rotor engine will deliver 80hp and should weigh in at 27kg. With FADEC controlled fuel-injection an a no-loss oil system, this engine will be a serious challenger to the ubiquitous Rotax 912.
Development of the DA50 continues with two new engine options being studied. The AE440 is a 450hp V8 diesel engine that has four FADEC channels and two fuel injection systems for redundancy. Currently running in a test cell certification, release is targeted for the end of 2014.
Causing a bit of a stir on the exhibition floor is the DA50 Turbine, a DA50 fuselage fitted with a 450shp Ivchenko turbine. Dries said that the engine had good specific fuel consumption numbers, a TBO of 3,000 hours and required no hot section inspection. Early calculations suggest that the turbine will make the unpressurised DA50 a 220kt aeroplane at 12,000ft where it will burn about 90lph.
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