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4/2/2004
The innovative DeltaHawk
diesel aircraft engine reached new heights in February, when it was flown to
17,990 feet msl. Then, on March 18, the company began accepting deposits for
firm 2004 delivery dates at locked-in prices. "This is the first of two order
windows," said Doug Doers, DeltaHawk vice president and chief engineer. "The
second will be for engines to be delivered in the first quarter of 2005."
The company has all the elements in place to begin commercial production of
engines for the experimental market and pre-certification STC projects by the
middle of this year, Doers added. Earlier in March, DeltaHawk finalized an
agreement with Kurt Manufacturing Co., which has been making some DeltaHawk
engine parts since October 2003. It will assume complete manufacturing and
assembly of the engines by mid-summer. Kurt's experience and expertise are
expected to facilitate the engine's certification process, Doers said.
Another agreement, this one with American Champion Aircraft, is for installation
of a DeltaHawk DH160A4 turbo-diesel in an Explorer airframe. The engine,
delivered early in February, will be the first DeltaHawk installation in a
certified airframe. It will be tested and flown in the experimental category
pending Federal Aviation Administration type certification, expected in 2005.
The primary purpose of February's high altitude flight was to determine engine
critical altitude, according to Doers. But, due to limitations imposed by a
fixed pitch propeller, "we were unable to load the engine sufficiently at
altitude to generate full power without exceeding engine rpm redline," he said.
However, doing a simple extrapolation, he added that "since manifold pressure
was still 56 inches even with a reduced power setting, we expect to have 100%
power available at 18,000 feet msl." An engine shutdown and restart test was
conducted at 12,500 feet with no problem. "We will continue to raise the
shutdown/restart altitude in subsequent flights," Doers said.
A constant speed propeller should be installed by the end of April, he said,
which will allow completion of the critical altitude test. The constant speed
prop also should yield a nearly constant climb rate all the way up, he pointed
out. Testing at altitudes higher than 18,000 feet will be done once the testbed
aircraft is IFR certified.
The DeltaHawk diesel, seven years in the making, and currently flying in a
Velocity RG. The company was founded in 1996 to develop a "clean sheet"
compression- ignition engine for general aviation, Doers said. A prototype first
ran in January 1997 and, since then, a pre-production engine has passed 10
million cycles on its rotating components. The engine's first flight was May 3
of last year, at the company's home airport near Racine, Wis.
Following completion of its flight test program, the 160 hp engine will be sold
initially to the experimental, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and industrial
markets, Doers said, adding that delivery of beta test engines began in April
2003. Over the longer haul, DeltaHawk plans to build a family of engines ranging
from 160 hp to 420 hp, in V-4 and V-8 layouts. In addition, the company plans to
produce several vertical shaft diesels for helicopter applications.
The Southern Aviator -
877-519-1672
P.O. Box 39099
Lakewood, WA 98439
editors@southern-aviator.com
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