I built that airplane..All the RedHawks. I worked there from the beginning until the last RedHawk was completed. Like you said, great idea before its time.
And, as I said, priced before its time, hence the lack of buyers. An off-the-shelf four cylinder Mercedes oil burner shouldn't price out like a factory overhauled Rolls Royce M 250 turboprop.
@leonpano I have been looking at BMW engines for aircraft for a while now. The M57 was a great engine although rare now. The B57 is less ideal, but still a good option. Engines manufactured around the year 2000 were the best for aircraft. Engines produced now are far more complex for emissions etc that just aren't applicable to use in aircraft.
I've always dreamed of a diesel powered turbine in the Cessna 172's. No mixture levers, no magneto's, no carb heat, just a single throttle lever. Throw that baby and fly. I flew a 2000 model Skyhawk 172R for training but had to stop due to blackout spells.
WHY hasn’t THIS been a thing? Diesels..done right, are VERY efficient, economical AND POWERFUL. Again, done right it COULD’VE BEEN a very popular powerplant.
They also last a long time given proper care. I've got a well known brand of pickup truck that has a diesel engine. It's 18 years old and recently achieved the half million mile mark and runs great. Fuel economy as a daily driver is decent at 17-18 mpg.
I fly the CD-155 variants (155 HP max), out of a fleet of about 8 aircraft (F172Ms mosty, some F172N). Those outperform our traditional Lycoming-equipped 172M, according to pilots who fly both. The diesel 172s are the workhorses on airshows and open days, carrying passengers around on short sightseeing flights. The constant-speed 3-blade propeller gives a good acceleration on takeoff. There is no POH-limitation on climb, it could be 100% in all climbs, although we also throttle back to 85% at safe altitude, with all obstacles left behind. The diesel 172 is remarkably nice for long cross-country flights as well, because it has a high operational ceiling (FL180), so for me it is much easier to climb high and cruise fast in the rarer and cooler air. The basic empty weights are a concern though, like for all Cessnas with 2300 lbs MTOM, because the well-equipped aircraft are heavy, and I always run calculations on how we fit passengers, baggages and the fuel for each leg. But if you don't need to carry a lot of useful load, e.g., just do a long powerline or gas pipe aerial survey, you can enjoy unpleasantly long flights with the Long Range tanks in some of the aircraft, in excess of 6-7 hours in the airplane, due to the low consumption at economic cruise (55%-65% power). Here is a playlist of my adventures with the diesel 172s. ru-vid.com/group/PL0xNTmAtxEUcOYS1cDb7FLmzW3XYVOxv4 At 3:37, just a minor thing, but for the precision nazis: AED = Auxilary Engine Display, CED = Compact Engine Display.
You are correct that CED stands for Compact Engine Display. The Normal Procedures Card from Cochise College (who originally owned all 6 of these planes) recommends climb at 85% and cruise at
@@grafhilgenhurst9717 aha, so It's a (precautionary) recommendation from the former operator/owner, and not a factory/manufacturer limitation. Basically then it's the same situation for both of us. Thanks for the the clarification, and also thank you for the video!
@@grafhilgenhurst9717 - Yet you stated it like an operation constraint, as though it WAS in the POH. I fly these in a school and we climb at 100% and have done for 9 years with perfect engine health and no issues. You want to get up quickly with these engines, as that's where they perform best.
Hi ! im preparing for 172TD exams , i would like to ask ,are the V speeds different compare to AVGASS / 172R ? cause in the 172TD POH , i couldnt find any V speeds apart from Vy , thanks !
@@karann4335 You should somehow find these speeds under SPEEDS FOR NORMAL OPERATION. I never flew the normal Avgas version, but my friends who do, they fly it in a similar manner, same speeds. The airframe is the same, aerodynamically it's the same aircraft. Perhaps the climb speeds are slightly different due to the better power-->thrust efficiency of the variable pitch propeller on the diesel variants.
In 2008, I had to be trained on Cessna diesel 172 and Cessna 208 Caravan as maintenance instructor for the Iraqi Air Force. Funny thing is the main reason why Iraq wanted diesel powered 172 is avgas 100LL was not practicible but jet fuel could be used if diesel was not available. I did not get to be around those 172's as I spent nearly all my time working the King Air 350.
I watched the Iraqi Air Force flight the c130e, it was the must scariest thing I ever seen. They were all over the place when landing, I was waiting for them to crash as they bounced multiple times across the runway.
Very nice, thanks. I have bet my life on diesels quite a bit in the past. Having them in my boat on ocean passages. I put over 20,000 hrs on mine with very minor issues. I know that this is different but if you give a diesel clean fuel, and air, it will run and run. I ran mine at times, 24 hrs a day, only shutting down to check vitals.
Here's a comment about clean fuel. In the 70's(?), Mexico got s bunch of money from the U.S. the govt in Quintana Roo started pushing back the jungle in order to develop land. My buddy took several 2 week trips to help them develop an irrigation system. He said there was tons of equipment scattered on a gravel road that led into the jungle. When the project stopped, the jungle grew back. He flew over the area and went to explore several nearby lumps in the jungle. What he found was Cats, some with paint still on the tracks, abandoned. With so much inoperative new stuff, he things they quit because of dirty fuel. He saw many empty/partial rusty barrels laying around. He set up a program to bring all those machines back, but the Mex national he was working with got assassinated. After that he never went back. Side note: As they built a road into the jungle, any rock they found was crushed to make gravel. He said they tore down many ancient Aztec artifacts and fed them into a rock crusher...which was still there..inoperative.
@@obsoleteprofessor2034 my brother and father had a farm in Belize in the 70s and early 80s and there was a lot of that going on. Mostly Americans and a lot of them were from Texas looking for oil and they knew absolutely nothing about working in the jungle. Same with Guatemala in the Peten’ region.
I recently had the chance to fly the Robin DR401 with this CD-155engine. This plane is wooden and therefore lighter than the C172, so the payload penalty is insignificant. The engine was fantastic. Efficient, the constant speed prop gives lots of power. I believe that now where the engine belongs to Continental, it finally gets the marketing power it deserves.
We converted 6 of these in our fleet. Had lots of problems with leaking radiators. Ours where rated 155 hp and had a great take off performance with an auto CSU and third prop. The nose tends to be heavy in the flare & the glide performance is reduced. I found them ok, but preferred the IO360...
I saw a video of a cropduster (air tractor) severely modified to run a V12 diesel TRUCK engine. Running on Jet A, it was a real showpony, and could do a ballistic climb :)
In Cento a Town near Ferrara in Italy there is the VM ENGINES. They built diesel engines for automotive and experimental one for aviation, very interesting.Greeting from Rome 🇮🇹
The Hawk XP was made from 1977 to 1981 with the IO360 de-rated to 195 hp with constant speed prop. We had a 1979 that was great for our hot high altitude airport, basically the same as the USAF T-41 except theirs had fixed pitch prop.
The 172S was not considered the XP. That title belongs to the R172K. It was literally marked as Hawk XP. It came from the factory with a 210hp motor derated to 195hp
I did some design review of the original FADEC electronic controller with Thilert, I think it was in the late 1980s or early 90s. I designed and the company I worked for built some electronic test equipment to test the FADEC through the extremes of temperature and vibration that they would see in operation as a prelude to a potential partnership with airframe and powerplant manufacturers.
Just to be accurate it is "injectors instead of spark plugs" the glow plugs are more analogous to a choke for cold starting. Rudolf Diesel Invented timed injection. He did not invent high compression...
From what I've read and seen, there are a number of different diesel engines for various aircraft -- some are rated for Jet-A or No. 2 automotive diesel interchangeably, which saves even more money if you have a diesel pump for trucks on the apron (that fuel was, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, about half the price of Jet-A -- might still be, I don't track aircraft fuel costs). Also, some don't require continuous glow plug power (i.e. use the plugs only for starting) so can run with complete electrical failure (injectors are mechanical). Some of those, however, have an operating restriction for outside air temp not below 0 F (-18 C) because compression won't reliably ignite the fuel if the air is colder. IIRC, those are air cooled, so don't weigh any more than the gasoline engine they replace (the Redhawk, with a converted automobile engine, has a heavier block/head and liquid cooling adding to the weight).
You make some good points.However compression ignition will operate way below -18C.Mechanical injection hasn't been used on diesel engines for a long time most common rail injectors are solenoid operated the timing and duration of the operating pulse being determined by the engine ECU.The ECU receives it's cue from a number of sensors,mostly all are 'hall effect' but consist of cam and crank position sensors, throttle position sensor (potentiometer) and intake airflow sensor(hot wire filament).
The Continental (and Snecma) air-cooled diesels look similar to their petrol counterparts, but are indeed about 40-50 kg heavier, due to the forces experienced by a diesel engine.
my flight school air harmony flies about 6 of these and I love them especially the throttle. Its a little bit different in the normal 172 layout but it flies so smooth, would def reccomend this aircraft!
Another overlooked benefit of a Jet-A/diesel powered version is the increased safety in the event of a fuel leak. You can put out a lit match in a jar of Jet-A or diesel. Try that with Av-Gas...
@@rogertycholiz2218 Its Gasoline. Diesel also explodes in the combustion chamber, but it is due to the heat and compression of the air at the moment the fuel is injected, no spark plugs. Diesel and Jet-A also burn a bit more slowly. The higher compression ratio of a diesel leads to greater efficiency and greater torque at lower RPMs. Diesel/Jet-A is also slightly higher in energy content than Gasoline per equivalent quantity.
@@pawo007 Neither "explodes" in normal operation. One other contributor to efficiency in a diesel is that they are not throttled. Pumping losses can be huge in a petrol engine.
If I understand this correctly, it will have longer endurance than a gas engine and possibly a longer range as well. The lower-powered engine might not show as much increase in range due to a slower cruise speed.
When I got endorsed in the 182, my flight instructor said that I would not want to fly anything smaller. He was right. A 172 is a nice plane, don't get me wrong. However, pretty much all the issues with a 172 were solved with the 182. You can actually put 4 people in a 182 and fly it. Don't ever try that with a 172. You won't rub elbows in a 182 with a co pilot, and the old saying does seem to ring true. If you can put it into the 182 and still get the doors to close, you'll get it airborne and fly it.
@@grafhilgenhurst9717 Interesting that you mentioned the 152. I started my flight training in a 152. After a decent pay raise at work, I moved up into a 172. Seemed like a huge upgrade. Now I'm into a 182 RG. Another improvement. I also dabbled in a Warrior. Every aircraft has it's pros and cons. But for long distance comfort, a 182 with extended range fuel tanks is hard to beat. )
FYI Cessna XP has a 215 hp Continental engine. We have one with us registered as VT IJS . The Cessna S has the 180 hp Lycomming fuel injected engine. 160 hp has the same 180 hp but derated engine
Very interesting, I wonder if there is enough power to equip with retractable gear. I ask this because in Australia transit distances are far greater than in the US and most of our farmers have aircraft, bottomline cost savings are always pure profit and accelerated depreciation makes capital cost to reduce consumables very attractive.
Thanks. Great information. I’ve been flying since 1981 and didn’t know all that history about the 172. And I think he’s right that the design was ahead of it’s time. And why didn’t they make the engine with the same 160 HP? Seems like a mistake.
Because they started with an auto engine, they were stuck with some operating parameters. The engine is not able to be overhauled; it is replaced, at hefty expense, thus the conservative operation.
@@UncleKennysPlace Of course it can be overhauled, they're just not certified for aviation usage that way. For the same engine in a Mercedes car, you can buy a remanufactured engine right off the shelf.
Back in the 1950s the writer Nevil Shute wrote a novel about the Berlin Airlift, and part of the story had a designer who developed a Diesel engine for the larger transport aeroplanes involved in the airlift. I don’t think that titanium, which would be essential for some of the more highly-stressed components, had become frequently used in industry.
Prior to WW2 and during the war, Germany had a number of Diesel-powered aircraft, e.g. the Blohm & Voss BV 138 flying boat, or the elegant float plane B&V HA 139 with two-stroke Jumo 205A Diesel engines, each rated @600 H.P. on take-off.
They should reconsider. Look at Diamond aircraft out of Austria. They are using shakers in their aircraft and they claim its the best for engine choice.
The Jet A and Jet A1 specifications do not have a cetane number requirement as it has no relevance to operation in gas turbines. As a consequence a diesel cycle piston engine cannot be optimised in the way that ground diesel engines can be as a result of a consistent minimum cetane number.
The 180hp Centurion model (2 of which are fitted to the Diamond DA62) would not fit inside the 172s cowling. The 135 model is underpowered but the CDI 155 model is more than adequate for a 172 and outperforms the 180hp Lycoming in every phase, other than initial climb from sea level to 1500'.
This I have to see. An airplane with a Diesel engine would be heavier so as to add more weight to the airplane. But on the other hand, Diesel engines use fuel which provides more power per quantity than the same amount of aviation fuel --- which would make for less fuel needed and a smaller fuel tank. So one of either could win out.
Here in North-Karelia in Finland, two guys were testing a helicopter with a diesel engine. I was quite promising, but tests ended with a malfunction and an accident. And then they had not enough financial to continue.
I never understood why diesel engines are not mainstream in GA. Usually diesel engines provide a lot of torque for their displacement. With a constant speed prop i will take torque over horsepower any day. Plus Jet-A and Diesel fuel is available everywhere.
Someday. Reliable automotive based diesels tend to be quite a bit heavier than gasoline engines with similar power. The volume of GA sales makes the cost of designing and certifying a specialized light aviation diesel a bad bet. So far. Take a step or two up from C172 class aircraft and pure turbines have long since taken over. Using a generous definition of "step", of course. :-)
Harsh torsional oscillations typical on diesels due to compression ratio and pressures are rough on props..especially constant speed units. All aviation diesels are heavier due to construction and require larger mass-damper units. In other countries where 100LL is difficult, sub 300 HP engines that can run on jet A have more utility. Second is maintenance. If it isn't Lycoming or Continental, you must find an FBO.
Compare this engine to a Rotax 915 iS and you'll understand. The Rotax weighs far less (around 100 pounds less), its very fuel efficient (about the same GPH) and it burns less expensive fuel. The max continuous power for the Rotax is also the same as the max TO power for the diesel.
I used to check out pilots on a PA28 fitted with the original Thielert engine an found it to be a lot less foolproof than the old fashioned engines. Overheating was a big issue, especially on a hot day when a climb speed around 90 kts or more was necessary to keep the temperature down. One can easily figure out what the resulting climb performance was. But also overspinning turned out to be a problem after a few hundred hours, especially while applying t/o or climb power. Sadly the aircraft crashed due to engine failure (luckily nobody was hurt). I don't know what happened to it afterwards.
My instructors warn me that on a hot day in TN, overheating is a real concern. They have me climb out at 85 knots, 85% power and 500 fpm. But sometimes it's more like 80 knots or 300 fpm. And watch for water temp or oil temp going into the yellow!
Ideal for extended navs. For flying club training, with say 8 starts for 1 hour flights every day the increased maintenance costs are a distinct disadvantage.
It did not take a genius to know this Redhawk is under powered. Fully loaded, even with 150HP, the 172 climb like the Spirit of St Louis just took off from NY on its way to Paris. Every redesign of most airplanes , HP get an increase, Who in their right mind would cut 10% power on an airplane that is already marginal and wondered why it is not popular !
It was a legitimate gamble. Maintaining or even potentially surpassing reliability while significantly cutting operating costs?? Yes please! An entry level workhorse is not what buyers go for, when seeking out high performance.
Curious what kind of weight difference between the gas & diesel models... I’m going to go out on a limb here and bet the diesel weighs considerably more, considering it was designed for a car
A little research shows the Continental CD-155 Diesel weighs 295#, the Lycoming IO-360 weighs 296-332#. So weight is similar, but power to weight favors the gas engine, at least at low altitudes.
A few years ago a diesel powered powered survey Cessna 172 dropped into our skydive airfield. The crew explained they had an endurance of about eight hours without landing. Now I've logged eight hours in a day, that's the legal limit, but at least I had breaks. Surprised diesels are not more popular in GA.
Thanks for posting. I’d love to fly one. Is there a weight & balance difference for this configuration? I have always perceived diesel engines to weigh more than gasoline engines for any given h.p. rating.
I looked up the weights of one of the Redhawks and one of the Skyhawk SPs. The Redhawk weight 1415# empty, has a max. take off weight of 2300#, and holds 33 Gallons of fuel. The Skyhawk SP weighs 1720#, has a max TO weight of 2550#, and holds 53 gallons. So I think the Redhawk is weight restricted by less HP.
@@grafhilgenhurst9717 Tell that to Subaru !!!!, they designed developed and put in series production a 'flat four boxer ' diesel, yes cats&kittens a diesel can be made lighter. Crank up U-Tube and look for Commer Tilling Stevens 2 stroke diesel, one hundred ponies for less than four litres, pretty good for 1950,s tech.
Yes that can be rectified, yes cat&kittens Subaru has done just that putting in production a 'flat four boxer diesel' like a VW Bug petrol engine, suitably modified by Teledyne Continental be ideal to power a Cessna 172.
You clearly don't know anything about turbo-normalizing. The CDI 155 engine outperforms the 180hp Lycoming in all phases except a narrow initial climb stage of about 1000 feet. At just 6000 feet a Lycoming 180hp is only delivering 133hp, due to density. The CDI 155 delivers 155hp from 0 AGL to 12,000'.
@@lutomson3496 A) Diesels absolutely do not (inherently) produce more torque than gasoline engines, this only happens when a diesel engine is run with significantly higher manifold pressure. B) Torque is not power, it cannot be used as a substitute for power. Aircraft need to have a good power to weight ratio in order to fly.
@@grafhilgenhurst9717 I don't know much about planes but would additional power make up for a little more weight? I cant find the weight of the om604 4 cylinder, I know the om606 6 cylinder weighs around 490 lbs. 4 cylinder is like 90hp stock while the om606 is making 190hp and can take 600hp+ on stock internals with a few small mods and a bigger turbo + injection pump. I know the 4 cylinders have also been modified I don't know how much they can make off the top of my head though. I'm assuming theres gotta be some rules to engine modifications though. Im surprised diesel planes didnt catch on, they can be extremely reliable and not needing to adjust fuel sounds, easier to turbo charge.
I suspect the 6 cylinder would be too heavy in the nose of a Cessna. If only they got 180 hp from the 4 cylinder, it would be competitive with the current Lycoming. @@lemons3738
Damn, a 172 or 182 with retractable gear would be the business! I would love to be able to toss in the wife and dogs and run up to see family. I would love to see what the aftermarket would come up with for these, take a Cessna, shoehorn in a R2.8 Cummins, sprinkle in some tuning, and finish with a stupid amount of boost!