Continental Motors Group Ltd. announced that Piper Aircraft Inc. has selected its new CD-170 compression ignition engine fueled with Jet A and available in standard or counter rotating versions to power the Piper PA-44 Seminole. The world’s leading multiengine  trainer will be available with Jet-A counter rotating engines, giving flight schools and training organizations a, single lever, FADEC training system with a history of innovation, simplicity and economy.
After selecting the CD-155 Jet-A engine to power the Archer DX, Piper Aircraft extends its Jet-A powered range of aircraft with the PA-44. The Piper Seminole is an advanced twin-engine trainer that has enabled thousands of pilots to earn their  multi-engine rating. It is used by flight schools across all continents and is known for its reliability, all metal construction, stable flight characteristics, counter rotating engines, and its modern avionics suite.
“Our experience with the Archer DX convinced us and our customers that we could deliver the best twin-engine training platform using the Continental® Jet A engine. We are extremely happy with the collaboration with Continental Motors™. As the undisputed leader of Jet-A engines in general aviation they understand perfectly the pilot training market and our own needs.”, said Simon Caldecott, CEO of Piper Aircraft.
Equipped with counter rotating engines and the latest versions of the universally acclaimed G1000 NXI by Garmin®, the Seminole is the ideal choice for training organizations. By transitioning to Jet-A burning engines, the Seminole DX addresses the requirements expressed by many customers across the world, especially in the regions where Avgas availability and cost is a concern. The CD-100 series engine family expanded to 170 horsepower and a counter-rotating option offers a unique combination of simplicity, economy, and performance. Further, the experience accumulated with the Archer DX shows that dispatch rates increase on the versions powered by compression ignition engines. The combination of advanced technology, single lever FADEC control, maintenance related down time, and maintenance diagnostic systems helps operators increase billed flight hours and decrease the amount of time spent in un-scheduled maintenance.
The CD-100 family of Jet-A burning engines is a time-proven platform with more than 5,250 engines delivered and over 5,500,000 flight hours in service. Ranging from 135 to 170 hp. these engines are the most widely used aviation compression ignition engines in the world.
“Our relationship with Piper on the Archer DX has allowed Continental Motors™ to expand its products to provide solutions required by pilot training organizations across the world.”, said Rhett Ross, President of Continental Motors Group.
The CD-170 and the CDL-170 (counter rotating) configurations of the 170 HP engine are available to aircraft manufacturers for integration and development.
The CD-100 family of compression ignition engines are extensively used in flight schools around the world and have been chosen by OEM’s such as Textron Aviation (Cessna 172 JTA Skyhawk), Diamond Aircraft (DA 40 and DA42), Glasair (Sportsman), Piper Aircraft (Archer DX and Seminole DX), and Robin New Aircraft as their engine. Retrofit kits for many popular airframes are also available and certified in over 72 countries.
