Liberty Aerospace has pushed back plans to begin offering its XL2 two-seat trainer with a diesel engine.
At the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture show in July, Liberty unveiled an XLT with a Wilksch Turbo Diesel engine and said it aimed to begin selling the new powerplant option in mid-2010. But Liberty now says the project has been placed "on the backburner" as a result of certification delays.
The manufacturer says it now waiting for the engine, which until now has only has been used on experimental aircraft, to become Federal Aviation Administration approved before it can run its own certification programme.
Liberty expects the diesel-powered XLT will be available in about two years, but is reluctant to provide a precise schedule as it hinges on how fast the FAA can process its application.
Source: Flight International
