A new diesel Cessna whispering at Malmi

The diesel Cessna of Malmi Aviation Club arriving at Malmi from Denmark on 14 January 2005. Photo: Santtu Salomaa / Malmi Aviation Club
The diesel Cessna of Malmi Aviation Club arriving at Malmi from Denmark on 14 January 2005. Photo: Santtu Salomaa / Malmi Aviation Club

24 January 2005

Malmi Aviation Club's Cessna 172 OH-CAU, converted to use environmentally friendlier diesel technology, arrived from Denmark to Malmi Airport on 14 January 2005.

In spring 2004 the four-seat aircraft that had been standing at the edge of the Airport for years was dismantled, overhauled to airworthy condition and shipped to Odense, Denmark to be fitted with a Thielert turbodiesel engine at Air Alpha.

Previously, there were only two aircraft with a similar engine in Finland. There's also one Diamond DA40 aircraft in Finland which has a type clearance for using a diesel engine. The increasing number of diesel aircraft is a part of the ongoing update process of small aircraft towards better economy, less noise and improved environmental record.

Photo: Tuomas Kuosmanen / Malmi Aviation Club
Photo: Tuomas Kuosmanen / Malmi Aviation Club

The Thielert engine uses ordinary diesel fuel, Jet A1 kerosene or a mixture of these. The fuel economy is much improved from the old engine: the endurance of the aircraft was increased from 4 hours to no less than 8 hours. More advanced silencer design and a modern three-bladed adjustable-pitch propeller reduce the noise of the aircraft very efficiently.

OH-COX of Malmi Aviation Club sneaking past to a touch-and-go. The Gomolzig silencer can be seen under the fuselage. Photo: Santtu Salomaa / Malmi Aviation Club
OH-COX of Malmi Aviation Club sneaking past to a touch-and-go. The Gomolzig silencer can be seen under the fuselage. Photo: Santtu Salomaa / Malmi Aviation Club

Malmi Aviation Club as already previously excelled at taking the environment into account by installing a costly extra silencer to its two-seat Cessna 152. Because of this, the Club's OH-COX positively tiptoes past listeners compared to other 152's that do not have a silencer. Other clubs, associations and aircraft owners at Malmi Airport are planning or have already completed similar projects. In addition, ultralight aviation making use of new low-noise environmentally friendly technology is on the rise.





Links:
www.mainio.net (in Finnish)
Video of the arrival of OH-CAU (AVI, 22 MB)