VulcanAir plans to offer diesel variant of P68C
Italy's VulcanAir is planning to offer a diesel variant of its Vulcanair P68C utility piston twin by the end of the year.
The Naples-based manufacturer says a prototype, powered by the SMA 230hp (170kW) SR305-230 Jet A-fuelled diesel-cycle engine, is being prepared for flight testing and its certification is earmarked for December.
VulcanAir director Remo de Feo says: "We expect certification to take just 40h because the aircraft is a variant of the in-service P68C and the SMA engine is already certificated." De Feo adds that the time between overhauls of the diesel-powered P68 is about 3,000h, compared with 2,000h for non-diesel versions.
In addition, he hopes to see a cargo version certificated by the end of this year.
Source: Flight International
