9 April 2014
Piper Aircraft and Continental Motors have revealed the factory diesel PA-28 Archer, having obtained an EASA Supplemental Type Certificate for the aircraft which is powered by the Centurion 2.0s diesel engine.
According to Piper’s performance figures, the Archer can cruise at a speed of 114ktas / 211km/h (at 70% power) with 5.8 gph / 22 lph fuel burn. The aircraft is equipped with a G1000 avionics system as standard instrumentation.
The prototype aircraft is on display this week at Aero Friedrichshafen. A full write-up from FLYER’s Ian Seager, following his pre-launch look at the aircraft, is included in the June issue of FLYER, on sale 24 April. Following the exhibition the Centurion-powered Piper Archer will begin a tour throughout Europe, including Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.
“This milestone development by Piper and Continental represents a continuation of Piper’s strategy to provide multiple fuel solutions for our customers,” said Piper President and CEO Simon Caldecott. “This is the next step in ensuring that future Piper owners and operators have access to more economical and readily available fuel supplies, especially in Europe where traditional leaded avgas is hard to find and expensive.”
Technify’s Centurion 2.0s engine is certified to use both Jet-A and diesel fuel and with the two fuels in any mixture ratio.
The first deliveries of the Archer DX are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2015 at a standard equipped price of $399,495.
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