Lifetime extension to 1,500 hours certified – No factory inspection necessary – maintenance costs and AOG substantially reduced
Lichtenstein/Germany – Centurion is launching a service offensive for the kerosene piston aircraft engines in its Centurion 2.0 series. As previously announced, the operational lifetime for this engine has been extended to 1,500 hours. In the interest of customers, Centurion has also managed to avoid the factory inspection originally planned for 1,200 hours. This means that the engines no longer have to be removed upon reaching this maintenance interval and sent back to the production organization in Lichtenstein, Germany. This results in a significant reduction in the maintenance costs and AOG times of the aircraft. After this significant service improvement, Centurion is looking to extend the operational lifetime to 1,800 hours for the Centurion 2.0.
“Our Lifetime Extension Program is now taking full effect. First the fuel feed pump, which is already at 1,200 hours; and now 1,500 hours for the engine and - most important - no factory inspection any longer. For customers, this means a cost reduction in 1,200 hour service by over 7,000 Euros. Our fleet customers in particular are delighted with this progress”, says Centurion CEO Jasper M. Wolffson commenting on this achievement.
No factory inspection – and 300 hours more instead
The 1,200 hour maintenance interval more or less corresponds to 600-hour maintenance. In addition, it is also necessary to replace the V-ribbed belt, the oil thermostat screw plug, a number of hoses (depending on the aircraft type) and the coolant. The engine, however, no longer has to be removed and sent back to the production organization for inspection, as would have been necessary with the originally-planned factory inspection. This cuts out the cost of removing and refitting the engine along with the associated transport costs. The average labor time decreases on average from 14 down to around one hour. A particularly important aspect for fleet operators in this regard is the reduction of the aircraft on ground (AOG) period.
The 1,200-hour inspection can be conducted at all authorized Centurion service centers. With some 300 plus service centers, one of the largest service networks in General Aviation is available for Centurion engines with service centers on all continents. At present, over 2,600 Centurion engines are operated in various aircraft types, which in the meantime have successfully completed more than 2 million flight hours.
About Centurion Aircraft Engines
CENTURION is the leading brand for certified kerosene (diesel) piston aircraft engines for general aviation. As far back as 2001, the manufacturer of CENTURION engines became the first company in the world to receive type certification for its kerosene piston aircraft engines. CENTURION pilots have a global network of more than 300 authorized service centers at their disposal. Altogether, the some 2,600 plus CENTURION engines operated in General Aviation have to date successfully completed more than 2 million flight hours. The company Centurion Aircraft Engines AG & Co. KG is responsible for the sale and customer service for the engines produced by Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH.
