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Fueling a recovery
By Mick Burke
RACINE - Most people have their own
memory of Sept. 11, 2001. That includes Diane Doers, president of DeltaHawk
Engines.
The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center affected every American.
However, for Doers, they also scored a direct hit on her company - which,
ironically, designs aviation engines. At the time, DeltaHawk was
trying to get ready for production of the lightweight diesel engines it had
been developing. After four months of negotiating, Doers had $1.5 million in
investor money lined up. "The money could have enlarged the staff and,
hopefully, compacted the time frame" to production, Doers said.
"About 10 minutes before the first plane hit, their
final signed agreement arrived on our fax machine."
Even though it was signed, Doers correctly figured the funding would go up
in smoke. "Five days later I got the call, and they said, `We're backing
out.' " Despite that setback and other delays, things are much brighter now
for DeltaHawk. Its advanced-technology diesel aviation engines are now in
production at Kurt Manufacturing Co. of Minneapolis. Many of the parts come
from southeastern Wisconsin job shops.
With the contract manufacturing now in place, Doers said, "We'll be able to
focus on our continuing (research and development) operation, and our
distribution and customer-support operations. "We had always projected
we would have about 30 people, and that's still where we're going to end
up."
Benefits of diesel
DeltaHawk's business is based on designing a lightweight diesel aviation
engine. Diesel aviation engines have been around since the 1920s and 1930s,
but they were too heavy for most airplanes except World War II bombers, said
Rip Edmundson, DeltaHawk information systems
manager. Only in recent years have materials existed to allow the creation
of a feasible light diesel engine, and that is the DeltaHawk quest. Less
weight in the air means more mileage, other factors being constant.
But there are other good reasons to make diesel practical, Edmundson
explained. Smaller planes use a gasoline-based fuel that is being phased out
by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency because, unlike auto fuel, it
contains lead. Many planes cannot use the auto gasoline that will replace
aviation fuel. Edmundson also said the DeltaHawk engine will be much
smoother in operation, meaning less wear and tear on the aircraft and
riders. Moreover, he said, diesel fuel is less flammable, which will
make the DeltaHawk far safer in a crash.
A long process Three years ago, DeltaHawk officials were testing their
fourth prototype. They thought they were nearing production on two related
diesel engines of 150 and 200 horsepower, respectively. They've now
had eight generations of changes to the engine block, and many generations
of changes to other engine components. There were other setbacks
beyond the loss of funding after Sept. 11. "We have always thought we were
closer to the end than we were," Doers said. "That's kind of the nature of
these projects."
"In R and D there's a saying: `Ninety percent done, 90 percent left to go,'
" she added. "... You're developing a very complex system." In
addition, Edmundson said, "We've been extremely conservative. We could have
had first flight three or four years ago if we were a little more
adventurous. "But this company is very, very small, and if we have a
mishap, we're done for."
That first flight did take place last May, and now engines are being made
for two different groups, Edmundson said:
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Developmental customers -
companies that want to develop products like helicopters and fixed-wing
aircraft with the engine. Ten engines are on order as prototypes for
manufacturers.
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Experimental aircraft builders -
individuals, not companies.
DeltaHawk officials say their engines
will be lighter and cheaper than their most direct gasoline competitor, and
use 25 percent to 30 percent less fuel. Various other companies have
tried to design modern diesel aircraft engines. So far, Doers said, two
foreign companies have produced engines certified by the Federal Aviation
Administration for use in this country. So DeltaHawk has not won the race to
market However, Doers said DeltaHawk still has big competitive
advantages against those engines when you consider horsepower, weight and
price.
"Some aircraft companies have let it be known that they'd like to start
working with us as soon as we're ready," she said. The U.S. military
is also very interested, she said, particularly for its drones, or unmanned
aerial vehicles like the Predator. She added, "We're starting to
accelerate the pace of development of our V-8 to meet additional markets."
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