Hi Paul/Guys;
Nice to attend SNF and see a few of you......The bad news was that I arrived Thursday and unexpectedly had to leave Friday afternoon.......The good news is that I'll be a free normal citizen very, very soon.
Paul, I'm surprised this excellent news on the Rotary got by the ACRE group, or did I miss something??......Either Mr Dries has a pair of Bronze Balls or he sincerely knows a good move when he sees it ;-) EXCELLENT DECISIONS!!
Got George's BH casting very, very nice will be testing it in between my tasks at hand and report back to the group.
Diamond announces several initiatives, new plant
In a wide-ranging news conference, Diamond Aircraft president and CEO Christian Dries listed several new developments, one of which is revolutionary.
A solution for cylinder head corrosion problems was found after a year of research, said Dries. In 135-horsepower Thielert TAE Centurion 1.7 engines used in certain early model Diamond DA40s, it was learned that fluoride ions from the flux used in radiator welds caused corrosion and subsequent hot spots. A switch from silicate-based to acid-based coolant tamed the problem. Recently manufactured TAE 135s have new, improved cooling systems that eliminate the problem.
Diamond also has gone into the engine manufacturing business. Its new IAE 50R 75-hp rotary engine is designed for use in ultralights, generators, and unmanned air vehicles. Diamond says there's a market for 20,000 such engines per year.
Two other "Smart" 101-hp engines - one a diesel, one that runs on avgas - were also announced. The turbocharged avgas version is intended for retrofit on older Diamond Katanas and Dimonas, replacing their original-equipment Rotaxes.
Diamond's new DA40FP, a fixed-pitch-propeller version of the DA40, will be certified soon, said Dries. At this time, Garmin has the prototype, which is undergoing tests with the G1000 avionics suite.
The company also has expanded into the simulator business. Its FAA level 5 FNPT II simulator can be configured to DA40 or DA42 specs (the latter requiring a power quadrant swap) and has a wraparound visual system. Autopilot functionality is to be added to the 170,000- to 200,000-euro, Garmin G1000-equipped simulator, which was offered up for rides at the show. Once it's certified, Diamond expects that it will be able to be used for a substantial portion of the instrument rating.
A Twin Star is being built for surveillance, law enforcement, sports coverage, and thermal imaging. The DA42 MPP (multipurpose platform) will have a nose-mounted, gyro-stabilized, triple optical sensor built by the Uomsk company of Ekaterinberg, Russia. Demand for the MPP is "more than we can produce," said Dries, who plans to aim sales to countries that don't want to buy surveillance aircraft from the United States, "but not to North Korea, Iraq, or any of the 'axis of evil' countries."
Diamond's 315-knot, single-engine, single-pilot D-JET project is moving along at a good pace, with first flight set to happen by year-end. But tough European regulations that effectively require an ATP certificate and a type rating are testing Dries' patience. "In the United States they look at the very light jets as the future and accept industry-generated flight training standards. But in Europe they want a D-JET pilot to make a loading sheet like a 747's! It's enough to force the aviation industry out of Europe! And they are forcing me to look elsewhere," said Dries.
Another Diamond spokesman said that EASA regulators also don't much like the idea of the American-style TIS-B and datalink weather technology and are fighting its installation in Diamond's and other European companies' light aircraft.
And with that, Dries dropped a bomb. Diamond, he said, is establishing what it calls the Diamond China Project, a new manufacturing facility that will be built "about 300 kilometers east of Beijing." Site construction began one month ago, and it will be twice the size of Diamond's Austrian facility - and capable of employing 1,700 employees and building 600 aircraft a year. Eventually, all propeller-driven Diamond aircraft will be built at the Chinese plant, starting with DA40s. The first DA40 will roll out the so-called "Aviation City" factory doors by year-end.
Regards,
Semi-Back, Butch
Its been real roller coaster ride. Mark Wrathal and I visited the Diamond factory a year
ago and the rotary was on. I talked to Chris Dries at OSH last summer and the rotary was off.
Francois went over there a month or so ago and the rotary was still off.
BTW Light Sport Aircraft specifically banned the rotary engine while it is allowed
in Experimental Light Sport Aircraft whatever that is.
The SMART piston engines spoke of above are, I think, out of the SMART telephone booth
cars sold in Europe but not making money. The manufacture of which may be
discontinued by Daimler/Chrysler at any moment. That is also the source of
the Thielert diesel. The "TBO" of the Thielert "certified" diesel is 1200 hours
and then it must be thrown away. No overhaul is allowed by the FAA.
The Diamond rotary engine has a few drawbacks. One: the rotor is air cooled
with a blower that sucks HP. Consequently fuel burn is higher than it need be.
Two: there is a total loss oil lubrication system. Not just for the apex seals
but for everything. Three: roller bearings are used for the rotor bearings.
Super precision is needed on the two surfaces or the rollers slide rather
than rotate due to the high centrifugal loads on the rotor bearings. Consequently
the RPM is limited to about 6000 which of course also limits the HP. The much
larger Mazda RX8 engine has a red line of 9000 RPM. This Diamond engine should be
redlined at twice 6000 RPM and generate twice the HP if it had a pressure oiling system.
The use of roller bearings is of course related to the oiling system. With
a pressure system like Mazda uses the roller bearings could be eliminated and
the rotor cooled by oil like the Mazda engine. None of this may be important
for the ultra light market however.
Paul Lamar
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