ABOVE: The SD3T will be powered by a TurboTech TP-R150. This small turboprop produces 148hp, burns around 28lit/hr, and has a 3,000 hour TBO
Tucker Marriott, the chief operating officer of Wasatch Aero LLC, a Utah-based startup, says he has more than thirty confirmed orders for its SD3T, a LSA category aircraft powered by a French Turbo Tech TP-R150 turboprop engine. Wasatch Aero also claims to have an additional contract in the process of being drafted for 65 aircraft from a single flight school. Marriott said the flight school will use the turboprop aircraft – which is still in the developmental stage and is yet to fly – for part of its course to give students some turbine time and better prepare them for the right seat of the airliners they hope to fly, although the company feels that an accessible and affordable turbine for light aircraft will do more than prepare students to operate turbine engines.
Known for their durability and reliability, Marriot predicts that small turbines will challenge piston engines in the light aircraft market, saying “I think it’s going to revolutionize the GA industry.” The TP-R150 produces 148hp, burns around 28lit/hr, and has a 3,000 hour TBO with reduced maintenance intervals and requirements, thus reducing downtime. The combination of the reduction in fuel burn from a traditional IO-360, direct maintenance costs, and extended TBO offsets the higher initial investment cost, according to Marriott. The Turbo Tech engine is scalable, and 250hp and 400hp versions are being developed.
PHOTO: DAVE UNWIN
