With a year and 1,300 hours of operation behind them, Redbird says its converted diesel Skyhawks have delivered bulletproof maintenance reliability and significant savings in direct operating costs. At a short briefing during the company’s fourth annual training conference in San Marcos, Texas, Redbird’s Darren Bien told a small group that thus far, customer response has been favorable, with positive comments on the airplanes being easier to fly and better trainers because pilots and instructors can focus on flying rather than manipulating engine controls.
At the Migration conference, Redbird showed off Redhawk number 6, with three laboring on the flight line at the company’s San Marcos Skyport and other placed elsewhere or about to be. Bien said 1,300 hours of initial operation have revealed fuel costs of $26.45 an hour for the Continental CD-135 diesel compared to $61.70 for the Lycoming-powered Skyhawk. Because of its expensive engine, the Redhawk gives a little of that back in scheduled maintenance costs of $43.21 an hour compared to $24.88 for the gasoline Skyhawk. When it’s all added up, says Redbird, the Redhawk’s direct operating costs are $68.66 an hour against $86.57 per hour for gasoline version. (These numbers don’t include any capital costs for buying the aircraft.)
As for scheduled maintenance events, Bien says the Redhawk has less than half as many as the Skyhawk because of longer oil-change intervals-20 versus 41. Because of this, the Redhawk can post an additional 200 hours of flight line availability over the Lycoming-engined model. Redbird announced the Redhawk at AirVenture last year. The conversion upgrades an older Skyhawk with a Continental CD-135 diesel, a Garmin G500 suite, new paint and new interior, among other improvements. It sells for $249,000, but Brown Lease, an aircraft leasing company, is working out hourly lease rate deals for interested schools. They’ll also be offering competitive financing for the Redhawks.
