DeltaHawk Engines has begun engineering and development of a firewall-forward installation package for the new DHK family of FAA-certified jet-fuel-powered piston engines for Van’s RV-14 aircraft.
The first installation will be aboard an RV-14 owned by award-winning aircraft builder Craig Saxton, with the aircraft anticipated to fly during late spring 2024, company officials said.
Built at the company’s headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin, the DeltaHawk DHK180 engine received FAA Type Certification in 2023 and the company is now moving towards production.
“Van’s aircraft are incredibly popular thanks to their high performance with exceptional efficiency, combined with a very high level of safety and ease of operation. Those same attributes accurately describe our DeltaHawk engine family, making this a great match,” said Jon Heup, president of DeltaHawk Engines.
“The DeltaHawk engine and its derivatives brings many unique and exciting benefits to aviation in general and, specifically, to RV aircraft,” added Saxton. “I approached DeltaHawk because their new engine platform offers superior performance, while being significantly more efficient to operate and maintain. I believe it is a very capable alternative to other engine offerings.”
Saxton is building his new RV-14 with the help of Synergy Air, the largest builder assistance company for builders of Van’s aircraft.
“We’re pleased to be part of this revolutionary project,” said Vaden Francisco, owner of Synergy Air. “We’ve helped build over 200 Van’s RV aircraft to date and this may be the most exciting one yet.”
Van’s Aircraft is also providing technical assistance for the project.
DeltaHawk is also developing similar firewall-forward engine installation packages for Bearhawk Aircraft’s 4-place model.
DeltaHawk is now taking fully refundable reservation deposits for the RV-14 engine installation package on its website at DeltaHawk.com.
Diesel engines are the best for cars, trucks, ships, and airplanes. We need more aviation diesels from UL power to 200+ hp. But they must be affordable, ie lower cost than Lycomings, which have become very expensive in recent years. Once the hype of EVs is over, I’d bet common sense will prevail and there will be a resurgence of interest in diesel cars. That will provide the large volume production of automotive diesel engines on which to base new aircraft engines. As Thielert and Diamond did with their Mercedes-based diesel engines. Call them diesels, too please, no reason to hide the truth of this wonderful creation and give recognition to its brilliant inventor, German engineer Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel.
Excellent!
I have seen people compare this engine to the 180hp IO360, which is 90 lb lighter – but this engine is turbocharged, so at altitude it must be substantially more powerful.
Admittedly finding Jet A at small/rural GA airports may not always be easy, but most city airports have it – and will have it for the next several decades.