Thielert Aircraft Engines of Germany said on Monday it has obtained supplemental type certification (STC) from the European Aviation Safety Agency to integrate its jet-fuel/diesel piston engines into additional Piper PA28 series aircraft. Two years ago, Thielert incorporated the Centurion 1.7 in the Piper PA28-161 as a rebuilt engine. Now, STCs for the Piper series PA28-140, -150, -160, -180 and -151 have been added. To this end, the Piper PA28-160 and -180 were reduced in weight to 2,152 pounds. “The Piper PA28 is one of the most popular aircraft in general aviation, after the Cessna 172. With these new certifications we now cover almost all series of these two aircraft models,” said Frank Thielert, CEO and founder of the company. “The strategy of offering pre-assembled installation kits with our motors for used aircraft has been so successful for Cessnas and Pipers that we are going to start offering our kits for Robins in the near future,” he said. In total, the Centurion 1.7 has now been approved for more than 25 models of aircraft and has accumulated over 200,000 flying hours. Also, Croatia and Australia recently were added to the list of countries that have validated the company’s existing aviation certifications. “This marks a significant expansion of relevant markets for Thielert’s Centurion engines,” the company said. Last week, the company announced it will produce a new liquid-cooled, turbocharged, diesel-burning, FADEC-controlled single-lever-power 230-bhp engine, the Centurion 3.2. That engine is targeted for air-time in late 2007.
