CESSNA SUSPENDS DIESEL 172 SALES, DIAMOND STEPS UP SUPPORT
AOPA says Cessna has suspended its delivery schedule of 172 TD models in
light of the crisis at Thielert Aircraft Engines, which supplies the engines.
According to AOPA, Cessna intends to continue with certification of the diesel
Skyhawk but none of the 100 on order will go to customers just yet. "At this
point we have decided that we will not deliver 172TD aircraft during 2008, and
we
have informed our customers accordingly," AOPA quotes an unnamed Cessna
spokesman as saying. Meanwhile, Diamond Aircraft appears to be moving
aggressively
to establish technical and parts support for its installed base of Thielert
diesel engines, following Thielert's bankruptcy filing last week. In a series
of
letters to owners, Diamond says it plans to order a "significant spare parts
inventory" and is asking dealers and owners for status reports on parts needs.
It has also established a North American hotline for owners and shops that can
be reached at 888-613-0096 or via e-mail at
[EMAIL PROTECTED] we reported last week, Thielert declared bankruptcy due to a
looming liquidity crisis and on news that German authorities were investigating
the company for financial anomalies relating to its IPO filing in 2005.
ETHANOL RAMPANT, MOGAS USERS WARNED
AOPA is warning aircraft owners who normally use automotive fuel purchased
off the airport to test the gas for ethanol even if the pump doesn't say
there's
alcohol in the fuel. The federal government mandate to increase the use of
renewable fuels in gasoline blends has prompted some companies to add ethanol
without notification and that can be dangerous for aircraft engines. "While
AOPA
has successfully prevented ethanol from being blended with avgas, there are
limits to what the general aviation industry can do to prevent auto gasoline
from being blended," AOPA said on its website In Idaho, pure gasoline is
apparently so rare that it's no longer available at some airports. "What I'm
hearing
from my members is that they cannot find ethanol-free auto gas on airports
anywhere," Idaho Aviation Aviation Association Director Ken Jackson said in an
email to AVweb. "Their choices now are to switch to 100LL, run contaminated
fuel, or hang it up."
RLE
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