Glasair Sportsman Diesel

September 26, 2014

Torque and toughness, check out the versatile four-seat experimental Glasair Sportsman Diesel’s new engine.

With the introduction of the Continental CD-155 engine, the bottom of the cowl on the Glasair Sportsman required a redesign.

**The CD-155 engine is operated with a single lever. The FADEC system optimizes the prop pitch and fuel mixture. ** The engine master switch is guarded to prevent the pilot from inadvertently shutting down the engine in flight.

The airplane’s systems status can be quickly monitored on two digital round gauges, made by Continental, that show green, yellow and red lights depending on whether the system is happy, disturbed or furious.

Unlike the horizontally opposed Superior XP-360 that comes standard in the Sportsman, the diesel engine’s cylinders are placed in line. The XP-360 is air-cooled while the CD-155 is liquid-cooled.

**Glasair Sportsman Diesel owners will have to make sure that the right fuel truck comes when it’s time for a top-off. But they won’t have to fill the tanks very often since the CD-155 engine sips fuel. **