I don’t think @dieselpilot ever came back after that post.
How can a manufacturer do this sort of thing? Aren’t they making enough money on the product to fix it?
I guess these conversions, prices for high hour FTO usage, are scarce.
Reviving this thread because my former club has issues and no solution at hand.
They have 2 aircraft with CD-155 and both have engine issues. They seem to appear randomly (all phases of flight).
The first is a brand new DR401 delivered with a CD 155.
The other is a DA40 which got a CD155 when its old but perfectly working CD 135 reached TBO.
Symptoms are as follows : power reduction with a vibration of the whole airframe, some black smoke is seen by the TWR controllers. It lasts 1 to 3 seconds and can repeat several times with one minute. Then it ceases but the pilot often returns to the field ASAP.
The mechanic sent logs to the engine builder but no return.
Nobody wants to fly these planes anymore (understandably).
Does anyone heard of simlar issues ?
This is very interesting, has you mechanic analysed the engine parameters using the graphical option in excel ? It’s usualy easy to find out what is happening and the particular system that is at fault.
I would be very interested in this as I maintain a number of these engines.
I have (two) CD155 in my DA42 and after some 30+ hours I haven’t had any issues.
My pennys worth.
Have been operating a DR400/180 Regent since it was new in 1993. The great attraction for me was the load lifting capabilities, the cruise speed which is the same as a Piper Arrow without the complication of retractable undercarriage. Manual flaps. Can get in and out of 400 meter strip if needs be. As time has passed and glass screens have become the fashion, we have reliable mechanical gauges, which if they go wrong can be replaced one at a time. The so called Lycosaur is totally reliable. It burns more fuel than I would like, but to upgrade to a diesel with attendant cost, would take a long time to level out on replacemnt cost. We are on our second engine.
I read that commercial aviation is totally conservative and kept to piston engines for a long time after jets were available. Well I am the same with regards “glass” and diesel piston engines. If it works it don’t need fixing.
Mooney_Driver wrote:
I prefer manual flaps
Nothing wrong with the 2cv handbrake lever Robin manual flap lever. I assume the DR401 flaps the same as ‘normal’ DR400 ones (i.e. not fowler etc) just electrically operated? Wishful thinking: a manual lever could be retrofitted?
We had a DR400/155CDI demonstrated before the Thielert debacle and both the salesman and pilot were very clear that the disel engines and FADECs were much more reliable than Lycoming etc etc.
