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 OVERVIEW OF STATUS

April, 2007.

FAA Certification Progresses
DeltaHawk is on its way to type certification of the DH-180A4 engine (180 HP).  An FAA
Designated Engineering Representative consulting group, The DERs Group, has been engaged to
manage and direct the process.  Current estimates are to achieve Type Certification (TC) as early
as the beginning of 2009.

Essential elements of DeltaHawk’s Project Specific Certification Plan (PSCP) were submitted to
the FAA early this year.   Revisions are currently underway to prepare the document for final FAA approval.  The PSCP will become the guiding document for achieving DeltaHawk’s initial Type
Certificate for the DH-180A4 engine.  The remaining engine model variants will come quickly
afterwards as amendments to the initial TC.

In addition to aiding with the TC process, The DERs Group will be assisting in promptly obtaining
manufacturing authority (Production Certificate) for the engine from the FAA.

Officially launching the Certification process is a significant milestone in the history of DeltaHawk. 
Decisions made over 10 years ago have stood the test of time and will lead to an innovative new
power plant for aviation worldwide.  Among those innovations are:

  • Lightweight construction using modern materials

  • Two-stroke technology for high power density

  • Liquid cooling for precise thermal management

  • Ease of service with external components

  • Multiple orientations and reverse rotation from one basic platform

  • Multiple levels of redundancy in key systems

    • Dual independent air supply systems (turbo & supercharger)

    • Continued operation at reduced power with total loss of coolant

    • Four independent high-pressure fuel pumps

  • A critical altitude in excess of 18,000 feet

  • Mechanical fuel injection for proven, safe and reliable fuel management

    •  No electronics to fail

    •  No reliance on aircraft electrical power 

With fuels such as jet, diesel, and bio-diesel poised to become the worldwide fuels of choice,
DeltaHawk customers can face the future confident they will be able to continue flying safely and economically.

                         

 

Johnson Aviation Insurance

January, 2007.

We frequently receive questions about insuring aircraft with DeltaHawk engines. With permission from Jeff Rasmussen, our agent from Johnson Aviation Insurance, we can tell you that our Velocity is insured by Johnson. They have expressed an interest in assisting any experimental builders or general aviation flyers with their current insurance needs as well as their requirements when repowering with a DeltaHawk. See them at http://www.johnsonins.com/aviation/default.htm or contact them at 800-477-IFLY (4359)

December, 2006.  

On Monday, December 11, DeltaHawk ran a left-hand turning (Reverse Rotation) engine for the first time.  The engine was run through a series of tests throughout the week and performed flawlessly.  With this first set of tests complete, the engine is now being shipped to a development customer for integration into his vehicle and further testing. 

The DeltaHawk engine was designed to easily accommodate reverse rotation with only minimal parts changes.  This first reverse rotation engine build proved that design concept.

 Most aircraft engine applications utilize right-hand turning engines. The most common use of a reverse turning engines is in twin-engine aircraft, where counter-rotating props adds very desirable performance and handling characteristics.  In addition, some helicopter applications require the use of reverse rotation engines to avoid complicated gear systems.

 Reverse rotation engines are available options for all engine variants, including upright, inverted, and vertical shaft engines, and in all horsepower classes. DeltaHawk is pleased to be able to offer this option to our customers.

September, 2006. 

DeltaHawk’s transition into production is continuing – a major and often challenging process, as anyone with product development experience is aware.  Among the many transition tasks, some of the most critical and time-consuming are:

·   upgrading all drawings and specifications to ASME and FAA standards,

·   getting all engine components manufactured by our new production supplier chain, and then

·   testing those components and assemblies. 

Those key tasks are still in process, and will continue to be for a number of months.  Over the years our enthusiasm has resulted in some unrealistic schedule predictions for R&D progress and production availability.  We know we have lots of good company in this failing, but that doesn’t make us (or those anxiously awaiting their engines) any happier.   We remain committed to completing the job and delivering an exciting new engine that will meet or exceed the expectations of all who have waited.  The aviation diesel engine revolution is beginning.  As we have always planned, DeltaHawk will be the first U.S. company leading the way.

Following are some brief paragraphs on other specific areas of interest. 

Vibration & Mass Moment of Inertia Analysis

Vibration surveys on the DeltaHawk/Velocity installation and MMI analysis of the engine have been completed, the data have been provided to engine vibration and mount specialists for analysis, and their recommendations for minimizing vibration transmission to the airframe have been received.   In addition to using the recommendations for in-house development, DeltaHawk is developing a version of the material that will be easy to use by others for mount development.  They will be posted on the FTP site as soon as they are ready.  

Horsepower Confirmation Tests

Building on the long-established performance of the DeltaHawk 160 hp model, work has been underway to finalize the configuration of the 180 and 200 hp models.  Development areas have included injection nozzles and timing, turbocharger variants and intercooling.  The primary objective has been to achieve the design power outputs without sacrificing engine life.  While the work is still under way, we have a high level of confidence that our stated objectives for all higher horsepower models will be met.

Propeller Tests

An MT Propeller model has been approved for use with the DeltaHawk.  Work is underway with two other companies, testing both two and three bladed propellers, fixed pitch and constant speed.  Announcements of propeller accomplishments will be posted on the main page.  

Endurance Testing

Tests have been underway over the years on various generations of components and assemblies.  Ground based testing has and is being carried out by DeltaHawk and commercial development customers.  An endurance program currently underway in the DeltaHawk dynamometer is putting inverted engine models through an endurance test program, with extended full-power operation modes as part of the cycle plan.  The objective is to put the engine through operational stresses that mimic and in some cases exceed those experienced in normal flight usage. 

In addition to identifying potential remaining design improvements, this test program is the “shakedown cruise” for the new manufacturing supply chain and DeltaHawk’s communication of specifications to them.  It is going well, experiencing the usual stops and starts of shakedowns but overall providing validation of the essential soundness of the engine.

Flight Tests

The diesel-powered Velocity made the flight to Sun ‘n Fun this year, with a stop at Embry-Riddle University.  A few final data-gathering flights at 18,000 ft MSL are planned, but otherwise flight operations remain on the back burner until the Velocity engine can be upgraded to our current production model following completion of the endurance testing.  At that time, the current N211JP aircraft will be turned over to its owner (DeltaHawk co-founder and major shareholder John P. Brooks) for demonstration and promotional operations based on the West Coast.  A new company aircraft will be put into operation with a production-generation engine for our FAA Certification program as well as continued testing and demonstrations.  Both new installations will incorporate what we’ve learned from the mount investigations, so that at long last we will have demonstrators (and test aircraft) with the “latest and greatest” instead of “four generations old”.

Thus far, in-flight performance characteristics of the engine have been even more favorable than those observed in our ground testing program.  In addition, restart with a stopped propeller has been demonstrated at 14,000 ft MSL.  Full power operation (critical altitude) exceeds 18,000 ft MSL.  Climb rate in the Velocity is >1,000 ft/min at 17,500 ft MSL.

Delivery of Production Engines

Kurt Manufacturing Company (Minneapolis, MN) now produces or sources all major parts and components for DeltaHawk engines.  Over the past year they have assumed more and more inspection, assembly and test responsibilities under the supervision of DeltaHawk staff.  A small pre-production run of engines has been in test for a year; a variety of adjustments have been made and re-tested.   One of the pre-production engines is now serving as the endurance test engine.  DeltaHawk management is committed to delivering engines as soon as possible, but not “before their time”.  The first full production batch of engines is in-process, but on hold for final completion operations until management gives a Production Release commitment based on endurance program results at a minimum of 300 hours (or up to 500 hours) on all major components.   Production deliveries can begin within ~120 days following Production Release.

FAA Certification

The Certification process for the DeltaHawk 180 hp engine is underway; addition of other four-cylinder models to the Type Certificate will follow as rapidly as possible after the initial TC.  Announcements of certification milestones will be posted as appropriate on the main page.

Development Partners and Distribution

DeltaHawk enjoys the support of a number of individuals and companies in developing engine installations.   Early DeltaHawk partners are developing installations for Experimental and Certified (future STC [Supplemental Type Certificate]) fixed wing aircraft, experimental rotary wing aircraft, fixed and rotary wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), and non-aviation mobile power applications.  Some of these partners have engines in ground or hover test while others have mockup engines for installation development and will be among the first to receive engines from our pre-production and production deliveries.

In addition, DeltaHawk has begun developing its worldwide marketing presence.  Active representatives are in place in Europe, Australia, and a number of other countries.  Further opportunities for cooperative service and support ventures are in planning stages.

 

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