The American Diesel, Still Struggling For Air

DeltaHawk, a small company based in Racine, Wis., has been working for about a decade to develop a diesel engine for GA aircraft — the only such engines being built in the U.S., the company says. The engine first flew back in May 2003 in a Velocity RG, and since then has been making the rounds of trade shows as R&D continues. A few of the 200-hp engines have been built for experimental aircraft, but the company says it is still at least 18 months away from having an FAA-certified engine, and money problems are slowing down the process. With a little luck, the company hopes to sell more than 3,600 of the engines in 2010. The company will be exhibiting its technology at Sun ‘n Fun, coming up in Lakeland, Fla., April 4-10. If you can’t be there to check them out yourself, be sure to watch for AVweb‘s special online coverage, coming to your inbox on Monday, Wednesday and Friday that week.