Superior Air Parts will market a pair of aero diesel engines manufactured by Thielert (pronounced “tea-lert”). The TAE 110 and TAE 125 engines produce 110 and 125 horsepower, respectively. The 110 has already won JAA certification; the 125 is said to be close, and FAA approval for both is expected to follow soon. Initial U.S. certifications are expected as retrofit approvals in Cessna 172s and Piper PA-28 series. In Germany, a Piper Warrior has flown more than a thousand hours behind the TAE 125. While the nominal 125-hp rating of the engine might seem insufficient for the PA-28, which normally flies behind a 150- or 160-hp engine, the torquey diesels will be able to use bigger, constant-speed props and develop more thrust than their gas-piston engine counterparts. In fact, Superior says that the 125 is equivalent, in terms of static thrust, to most 180-hp engines, and its dry weight, the manufacturer says, is very close to the Lycoming 320- and 360-series engines.
The turbocharged diesel engines run on jet-A fuel and feature single-lever power control with full authority digital engine control (FADEC). TBO is pegged at 3,000 hours, which is about one-third greater than comparable gas-piston engines.
