Continental Unveils CD-170R Rotorcraft-Specific Heavy Fuel Engine

The powerplant manufacturer, which is a subsidiary of Continental Aerospace Technologies, has submitted its certification package to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and  expects certification by the end of the year.

According to Continental, the CD-170R variant is "an evolution" of its CD-170 for advanced fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft and will feature similar characteristics. The CD-170R, however, does not have a gearbox, shaving its weight by 37 pounds.

"The 170 hp turbocharged engine combines the state-of-the-art, full authority digital engine control (FADEC), resulting in lower fuel consumption and dual redundancy," Continental said in a statement. "While fuel consumption is application based, this 4-cylinder model is expected to conservatively burn approximately 7.9 gallons of jet-A-1 per hour when in cruise. Similar to its predecessors, the CD-170R will debut with a time between replacement (TBR) of 1,200 hours and will increase with time in service."

According to David Dörner, vice president of global research and development for Continental Aerospace Technologies, the engine was engineered with pilot needs at the forefront.

"This is a major innovation milestone in Continental’s history that will allow us to serve even more pilots and operators in the [GA] industry,” said Dörner. "Controlled via FADEC with rotorcraft-specific software mapping, pilots can now direct their focus toward the critical phases of flight and mission, alleviating the need to manage both the throttle and the collective simultaneously.”