Market Intelligence: -Training Aircraft Developments

Training Aircraft Manufacturer Diamond Aircraft is Working on the Use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels

Eco-consciousness and responsible use of resources has always been at the core of Diamond Aircraft. The history started with efficient and lead-free jet-fuel engines and is going forward with electrification as well as alternative fuels and propulsion systems. Currently Diamond Aircraft Austria together with its sister company Austro Engine has launched a dedicated Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) development program for their Austro Engine-powered aircraft.

In order to validate and approve sustainable aviation fuels that will be available at airports in the future, turbocharged compression-ignition piston engines require not only chemical and calorific analyses but also investigations on component test stands, engine test stands and flight tests. For this purpose, a specially designed engine test bench with full measurement technology has been installed, which is measuring the cylinder pressures in real time with crank angle resolution, the emission components of unburned hydrocarbons (HC), nitrogen oxides (NOx), GHG carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide (CO2, CO). Another special feature is the fuel supply of the engine on the test bench, which was designed to allow a quick change of fuels without having to accept high circulation losses. To be able to perform reproducible measurements with different fuels, which are only available in very limited quantities, the integration of a sophisticated fuel supply system was necessary. However, a detailed analysis of the use of the currently seven approved SAFs according to ASTM D7566 Annex 1 to Annex 7, in Austro Engine’s jet-fuel piston engines in flight has not yet been carried out due to the lack of availability. The company expects to receive certified SAF to be able to start with examinations in May 2023. In addition to preparatory work, the waiting time was spent by successfully investigating alternatives, such as regenerative fuels certified for road application.

“Next to the all-electric eDA40, SAF will become a near term available solution for sustainable aviation,” said Robert Kremnitzer, Head of Design Organization, Diamond Aircraft Austria. “In the piston engine segment, we have the big advantage that most of our existing fleet is already using jet fuel. With this program we ensure, that sustainable alternatives to this fuel types may be used as soon as they become available at airports with General Aviation fuel stations with no or only minor adaptions to the aircraft.”

In order to quickly move forward in SAF research and to achieve the common goal of a sustainable aviation, Austro Engine not only cooperates with our fleet customer Lufthansa Aviation Training, fuel manufacturers and universities, but also with General Aviation partners. Austro Engine is partner of the initiative for aviation fuel based on renewable energy aireg (Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy in Germany e.V.), which is also driving SAF use for General Aviation piston engines forward.

“We believe the coexistence of several technologies as strategically sensible for General Aviation. Diamond Aircraft is currently developing the eDA40, an all-electric training aircraft, which will be certified in the near future. Austro Engine relies on more than 16 years of experience and more than 2.5 million hours flown with their piston engines,” said Felix Zahradnik, Chief Technology Officer, Austro Engine. “In addition to further innovations in the field of material science and combustion process development, the key to sustainability lies in the type of fuel used. By using regeneratively produced fuels, not only can the existing infrastructure be utilized, but also the CO2 balance significantly and directly influenced. The goal of current efforts is clearly the release of sustainable fuels for currently available Diamond aircraft.”

Diamond Aircraft and Austro Engine anticipate increasing availability of ASTM D7566 SAF blends as a “drop-in” fuel for General Aviation in the coming years and plans to release the entire fleet for this fuel mix by the end of 2025. Significant market penetration of SAFs is expected by 2030 and availability of 100% pure SAFs without blending for 2050.

Source: Diamond Aircraft Press Release
Photo Credit: Diamond Aircraft (shown as meta image)

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French Flight School, Mermoz Academy, Orders 6 Elixir Aircraft

Elixir Aircraft is pleased to announce the sale of six 4th generation Elixirs to Mermoz Flight Academy.

The aircraft manufacturer and professional flight training organisation share a common territory and common ambitions. To make aviation accessible, safe, efficient, but above all more committed to the planet. Elixir Aircraft offers an aircraft that covers all the needs of a modern flight school while reducing carbon emissions by nearly 70% compared to other old generation aircraft.

Elixir Aircraft and Mermoz Academy are pleased to exhibit an Elixir in the colors of Mermoz Academy at Aero Friedrischafen. The configuration chosen by the school is full Garmin glass cockpit, to allow for training adapted to the needs of airlines. Elixir Aircraft wishes to be part of this relationship for the long term and is convinced that the Mermoz Flight Academy and Elixir Aircraft duo will be beneficial for the training of future generations of pilots.

Following its success with Airbus Flight Academy, Elixir Aircraft is focused on its commercial and industrial development, with more than Seventy Elixir on firm order in Europe alone. With a growing staff of over 100 people, the company’s priority is to ramp up production. This continued development includes the construction of a new 12,000m² factory at La Rochelle airport in the coming months.

About Elixir Aircraft

Elixir Aircraft, a company headquartered in La Rochelle, France, with over 100 employees, was created in 2015 to meet the challenges faced by the Global General aviation sector. The objective of the French company: to make safer, more economical and more versatile aircraft. Complexity is the reason why current aircraft suffer from failures (technical or human), and are expensive to operate (consumption and maintenance). Elixir Aircraft employs technology from the world of competitive sailing, the Carbon Oneshot, to simplify the structures. More simplicity means less failure, therefore more safety, but also less maintenance, and less costs (estimates of 40€/h of fuel and maintenance).

Since early 2022, Elixir Aircraft opened a new production site in Périgny, Charente Maritime, to internalize the entire production of carbon parts.

  • 4th generation two-seater aircraft certified EASA CS-23 FAA Part 23 Pending
  • 100 employees, including 50 new hires since the first quarter of 2021
  • 2 productions sites in France, one of 2300m², the other of 1000m² square
  • 70 aircraft on firm order
  • +140 aircraft pre-ordered or in letter of Intent (LOI)

About Mermoz Academy

MERMOZ ACADEMY is a reference ATO in Europe since 1957. The academy trains 150 students a year on different bases South of France, (Nimes), near Paris (Tours), in the USA and Canada. Instructors are former Air Force pilots and Airliners pilots to offering students the highest industry’s standards training.

Source: Elixir Aircraft Press Release
Photo Credit: Elixir Aircraft

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Training Aircraft Manufacturer, Piper Aircraft, Announces the Approval of Sustainable Aviation Fuel in all Existing Piper Turboprop Models

Piper Aircraft is excited to announce the approval of Sustainable Aviation Fuel in all its existing Piper turboprop models. This exciting development in sustainability reaffirms their commitment to making general aviation a safer, greener, and more accessible industry for all.

Source: Piper Aircraft Announcement
Photo Credit: Piper Aircraft (shown as meta image)

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Training Aircraft Engine Manufacturer Austro Engine is Researching Future Propulsion Systems

Austro Engine GmbH, a sister company of Diamond Aircraft Industries GmbH, in cooperation with the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) – owned by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) and the Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW), and the Vienna University of Technology have launched a program, supported by Bosch General Aviation Technology GmbH, to develop a bivalent hydrogen engine. The research project is scheduled for completion by end of 2024.

“In renowned studies, hydrogen is regarded as the energy storage medium of the future. Undoubtedly, many challenges in the production and especially handling as well as infrastructure are not yet clarified. True to the motto “If you don’t go forwards you go backwards”, Austro Engine is taking responsibility for the next generation of propulsion systems for General Aviation,” said Felix Zahradnik, Chief Technology Officer, Austro Engine. “In addition to highest efficiency with lowest emissions, factors such as operating costs, safety and worldwide availability have been decisive in determining the strategy of future propulsion concepts. We see our long-term future not only with sustainable aviation fuels, but also believe that hydrogen direct combustion might be a good propulsion system for General Aviation.”

There are two different methods for the direct combustion of hydrogen in a piston engine. The initial ignition of the air/hydrogen mixture can be done either by a spark plug or an ignition jet. The advantage of initiating the combustion by a spark plug is a constant 100% hydrogen operation, which in the ideal case was generated 100% regeneratively. However, if the ignition jet method is chosen, there are clear advantages for General Aviation. In the present case, the ignition jet is generated by the existing combustion process with kerosene. The substitution rate of kerosene by hydrogen can be adjusted for combustion stabilization but can also be modulated to 100% kerosene operation due to the current lack of availability of pure hydrogen in some regions of the world. The use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) instead of conventional fossil kerosene for the ignition jet also meets the requirement of 100% substitution of fossil components and has no disadvantages compared to the spark plug-powered hydrogen engine in terms of sustainability.

Despite the early development stage of this project, considerable success has already been achieved. A 90% energy substitution rate at part load was achieved, which means a 99% reduction in CO emissions and 89% in CO2 emissions. In addition to the focus on reducing CO and CO2, the already extremely low emissions of unburned hydrocarbons (HCs) at full load (maximum take-off power) were also reduced by 25%. Besides basic research and combustion development, topics such as durability (hydrogen embrittlement) and EASA certification are the focus of the further course of this project. All research has been currently solely done on a test bench. Further information will be released after completion of the three-year program.

“Partnerships across industry borders are crucial to achieve sustainability in aviation. At Bosch Aviation Technology we are proud to be technology partner of Austro Engine and the Vienna University of Technology in public funded projects, which integrate hydrogen in an existing engine line-up,” commented Christian Grim, General Manager Bosch General Aviation Technology GmbH. “We are convinced that hydrogen will play a major role in regard to sustainable aviation solutions if used with fuel cells or in hydrogen engines. To face decarbonization as a major challenge for General Aviation, it will become increasingly important to search for alternative propulsion systems.”

Diamond Aircraft and Austro Engine, together with Lufthansa Aviation Training, are also working on Sustainable Aviation Fuels options for the Austro Engine powered aircraft line.

Source: Diamond Aircraft Press Release
Photo Credit: Diamond Aircraft

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