Anyone who’s owned a vehicle with one knows that a diesel engine is a different animal, requiring different care and feeding. Well, the same goes for aircraft applications and the FAA has come out with a list of special conditions that must be satisfied before the switch is made from 100LL to Jet-A. And while you’d expect there to be some regulatory requirements, the list is (so far) pretty long and deals with some rather esoteric distinctions between the two types of mills. Although aircraft diesels have been flying in several types of GA aircraft for almost a decade, supplementary type certificates seem to be fairly rare. According to our research, the U.S. has approved an STC for use of the Thielert 1.7-liter diesel in later model Cessna 172s, while the Thielert is also approved for Piper Cherokees in Europe. Europe has also approved the SMA diesel for conversion of the Cessna 182.
STC Applications Raise Issues
Key Takeaways:
- Aircraft diesel engines demand different care and operational considerations compared to traditional aviation engines.
- The FAA has issued an extensive list of "special conditions" that must be met for converting aircraft from 100LL to Jet-A diesel power.
- Despite aircraft diesels having been in use for nearly a decade, Supplementary Type Certificates (STCs) for these conversions remain relatively rare in the U.S.
- Existing STC examples include the Thielert 1.7L diesel for Cessna 172s in the U.S., with further Thielert and SMA diesel approvals in Europe.
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