ABOVE – Bushliner says the DHK6A350 will have low fuel consumption while weighing less than the IO-580 engine
In a move that has been driven in part by plans to phase out production of avgas 100LL, the American company Bushliner has announced that the only powerplant it will offer for its Bushliner 1850 utility aircraft will be DeltaHawk’s DHK6A350 diesel engine. The company had initially planned to offer both the DeltaHawk and Lycoming IO-580 as engine options, but increasing uncertainty over the future of avgas drove the change in direction.
“After evaluating the current unleaded-avgas environment, Bushliner does not have sufficient confidence to base the production 1850 on the IO-580,” the company said in a news release, adding that it had signed a twenty-year deal with DeltaHawk that gives it “priority deliveries, supply consistency and long-term production continuity.”
Bushliner added that the engine decision was resolved by DeltaHawk’s introduction of its Perpetual Power option. Rather than paying up front for the engine and then assuming all the risk for future repairs and service, the programme allows owners to buy only the ‘engine time’ they use each year. DeltaHawk pays for all unexpected repairs that are covered under the programme and when the engine reaches its 3,000-hour TBO it has a replacement waiting before the old engine is removed.
PHOTO: BUSHLINER
