I totally agree that the future is diesel, either in the form of turbo prop or diesel engine.
It would be interesting to see how the DA42TDI (2.0L engines) compare in terms of economy against, lets say a TB20? For arguments sake lets say at FL100 at 60% and 80% power.
Perhaps someone could do a direct price comparison based on AVGAS price v JET A1 using UK prices per litre? For ease of calculation lets say a direct flight of 500nm, the interesting figures would be estimated time of flight, cruise speed, total fuel cost for the flight and total fuel burnt in litres.
Peter - your thoughts on this?
A and C - your correct about the respect the UAV industry has for Thielart engines, the use of Thielart engines in the Grey Eagle and earlier Warrior UAV's has shown extreme performance, good reliabilty and most importantly the ability to withstand harsh operating regimes. It also operates on a fuel with a much wider spec tolerance than Jet A1 without adverse affect on power and reliability
Last edited by goldeneaglepilot; 29th Dec 2011 at 20:20.