Teledyne Continental Plans Certified Diesel within Two Years

Rhett Ross, the new president of Teledyne Continental, has said that his company is planning to “aggressively develop” a diesel or heavy-fuel engine for certification in late 2009 or early 2010. Ross says that Teledyne Continental would like to ground demonstrate a prototype of an engine—probably in the 300-hp range—later in 2008 or early 2009. He suggested that this size of engine would make a nice fit with the company’s IO-550 series. Teledyne Continental previously developed a four-cylinder prototype engine under NASA’s GAP programme, which flew but was subsequently shelved awaiting market developments.

Ross is of the opinion that the price and lack of availability of 100LL Avgas will inevitably force general aviation to begin utilising Jet-A-fuelled piston engines. Although Teledyne Continental’s first engine will be a high-horsepower one, according to Ross, the company will eventually introduce smaller engines as well.