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Cessna conversions to Centurion diesel: Redbird (US) reintroduces the 172 2.0 lit. conversion on the US market, and BDR Consortium (Europe) addresses the 206G and H conversion to V8 4.0 lit.
As soon as the world knows that Centurion Thielert (now renamed Centurion) is part of Continental Motors under the AVIC ownership, the business of Cessna conversions to Centurion receives a positive kick, announced at EAA Air Ventures.
AVweb and Aero-News Network announce today that Redbud Skyport initiates offering the gold old Cessna 172, entirely remanufactured from bare metal and equipped with the Centurion diesel 2 lit.,, to the U. S. and other flight academies. Says Aero-News: "Typical training aircraft come in one of two flavors: 40-year-old machines with tired interiors and outdated avionics or new glass-panel machines that cost more than most flight schools or owners can afford. Now a consortium of companies is using Redbird’s Skyport laboratory to test a third option: The RedHawk Training Aircraft." The price is mentioned at around $200,000.
"The RedHawk is an experiment, and the Skyport will act as the proving ground it was designed to be,” said Jerry Gregoire, Chairman of Redbird and RedHawk Aero. “We know the RedHawk will cost less to own and operate than a new airplane, without sacrificing customer appeal. But we’re not committing to hard numbers until we build a fleet and fly them.” Gregoire says the goal of the next several months is working with all the partners to validate each component of the design.
The RedHawk is remanufactured from the bare metal of a Cessna 172, with each partner company bringing a unique component to the whole. These include:
Continental‘s fully certified Centurion turbo-diesel engine burning 4.5 gallons per hour of Jet-A
Aspen Avionics’ Evolution 2000 PFD/MFD (glass panel), with full PFD backup
Bendix/King’s next-generation avionics stack, currently awaiting final certification
Brown Aviation Lease’s options for consumption-based pricing, with insurance provided by Starr Companies and Aviation Insurance Resources. (Full financing will be offered.)
RedHawk’s own interior and exterior upgrade to maximize longevity and usefulness on the flight line.
See on Facebook: Redhawk Aircraft.
Meanwhile the BDR Consortium in Europe announces that they offer for sale the 206 G and H conversion to the V8 310 HP Centurion diesel. BDR is a joint venture of Baulip Sports (Principal: Charlie Baum) located on the Gap Airport in France, of DieselAir Research (publisher of DieselAir) and of local suppliers. Gap is the most active French airport for General Aviation. BDR is equipped to undertake 206 refurbishing and conversions on a fully equipped workshop already active in similar activities on single engine planes. Baulip owns and operates two 206 diesel V8s, one of them being used for charter flights and the other for parachute jumping. Selling price of fully retrofitted 206 will be generally competitive, depending widely of the options for avionics and ancillaries. BDR is represented at Oshkosh Air Venture by Patrick Canivet, of FlyJetA, who will handle the North American market of the business.
BDR concluded a covenant of association with the future Polyaero University Center, now being created on the GAP Airport to welcome its first students in 2014. Polyaero´s vocation is educating future engineers and technicians for General Aviation, covering upto Ph. D. level, with options for specialization in aero diesel aircraft and engines. Students will be prepared from scratch to the coming of aero diesel engine in the world. Charlie Baum has been, as a local citizen, extremely active in making Polyaero possible.