Everyone agrees that diesel makes a lot of sense for light GA, but so far there have only been lower- to mid-power options, including models from Thielert, Austro and SMA. One company, Engineered Propulsion Systems (EPS), of New Richmond, Wisconsin, is doing something about this state of affairs by developing an aero diesel, the Vision 350, that will be compatible with a number of high-performance light GA airplanes.
The company will be showing off its innovative 350 hp eight-cylinder flat-V engine at Oshkosh AirVenture. The engine weighs, says EPS, about 50 pounds more than a conventional gas-piston six-cylinder engine — think TSIO-550 — but will deliver much better specific fuel consumption, liquid cooling and fully electronic ignition.
At 65-percent power (around 225 hp) it will burn about 11 gallons per hour. It will also be the first diesel aero engine, says EPS, that will be able to use a metal prop. The company has not yet announced a timetable for certification or production of the new engine. Because of the vibration inherent in a diesel, other aero diesels are fitted with composite props. EPS will be in the Innovations Pavillion at AirVenture 2013.
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