Premier Expands Diesel Cessna 172 Program

Stephen Pope

Tuesday, April 01, 2014 at 10:40 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Premier Aircraft Sales has expanded its diesel Cessna 172 conversion program to cover all Skyhawk models from 172F (1965) to modern R/S variants, replacing the Lycoming engine with a 135hp Continental/Centurion 2.0 engine that runs on Jet-A.
The upgrade offers significant fuel efficiency (half the Jet-A burn compared to avgas) and performance improvements, with options ranging from a full $289,000 package (including the plane, new paint, interior, and avionics) to an engine-only upgrade for $100,000.
The program is attracting strong interest from flight schools, especially due to substantial cost savings from using cheaper Jet-A fuel, making it a financially compelling upgrade for aircraft nearing engine TBO.

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Before it has even sold its first diesel Cessna 172 conversion, Premier Aircraft Sales announced a vast expansion of the program to cover all Skyhawks from the 172F model first built in 1965 to modern 172R and S models.

Earlier this year Premier announced the diesel upgrade program, which replaces the Lycoming engine in a 172R or S with a 135 horsepower Continental/Centurion 2.0 liquid-cooled engine running on jet-A. The $289,000 upgrade includes the original airplane, the new engine, new paint and interior and a new avionics suite consisting of the Garmin G500 system paired with a Garmin GTN 750 touchscreen navigator.