AERO Friedrichshafen shows alternative aircraft engines

Friedrichshafen, Germany - These days it seems everyone is talking about electric and hybrid drives, including manufacturers in general aviation. At AERO Friedrichshafen, the global show for general aviation (8-11 April 2010), you can see the latest environmentally-friendly alternative engine technologies, many of which have developed well beyond the prototype stage and are ready to go into production. The first aircraft powered by electric motors are already flying in the US, China and European countries. There are already plans for the large-scale production of a number of different types of these innovative aircraft.

Aircraft that are solely dependent upon electric power are still limited by the capacity of rechargeable batteries and their weight. This has prompted German manufacturer Flight Design to adopt a novel approach. The company has taken a 114 hp internal combustion engine and combined it with a 40 hp electric motor. During takeoff and when climbing, this provides virtually the same amount of power as a conventional 180 hp engine produced in the US. But there is a major difference: This modern hybrid drive is not only significantly lighter and far more fuel-efficient than boxer engines from the US, it can also run on inexpensive, lead-free car fuel, instead of leaded avgas. After all, there is a great deal of speculation over whether costly, leaded avgas aviation fuel will even still be widely available for piston-engine aircraft in the future. In any case, at AERO 2010 the role of hybrid drives in general aviation will be a major theme for the first time.

Another environmentally-friendly drive concept is also sure to win supporters at AERO 2010: diesel engines. In addition to Germany's Centurion Engines, the young Austrian manufacturer Austro Engines has acquired the necessary aviation certifications from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and along with France's SMA diesel engines, there are now three manufacturers ready to go in diverse performance classes, offering solutions for both new aircraft as well as retrofitting kits for older planes. Depending on their certification, these engines can run either on normal diesel from a filling station or on kerosene, which is available at airports around the world. Other manufacturers of diesel engines - primarily in the area of ultralight and experimental aircraft - are already conducting tests and plan to present their products at AERO 2010.