RED Aircraft engine powers Celera 500L performance

RED Aircraft’s liquid cooled V12 twin six-cylinder RED A03 engine is the primary reason why the Celera 500L boasts running costs of $328 per hour with a 4,500nm range, according to creators, Otto Aviation.

Sebastian Glück, head of business development, RED Aircraft, said: “We are honoured and excited to be part of this new aircraft design. The Celera 500L demonstrates the great potential of our game-changing RED A03 engine as well as our own engineering capabilities. The power plant combined with the aircraft’s unique design serves to dramatically reduce operating costs and provide performance with cruise speeds equivalent to similar-sized jet aircraft.”

When California-based Otto Aviation recently unveiled its new bullet-shaped plane the Celera 500L, a six-passenger aircraft capable of flying at the speed of a business jet with eight times lower fuel consumption, you could have been excused scepticism. However, Otto claims that the Celera 500L can cruise at more than 460 miles per hour, achieves a 4,500 nautical mile range, with an operating cost of just $328 per hour.

The Celera 500L can therefore connect all city pairings in the U S, according to the company. Otto Aviation said there are contributing factors to the performance including the craft’s laminar flow design, low coefficient of drag combined with its lightweight composite structure enables it to operate on much less horsepower.

However first and foremost is its liquid-cooled V12 twin six-cylinder German-built engine. Rear-mounted, the engine is certified to operate using both biodiesels as well as Jet A1.

Otto Aviation, chief technical officer, David Bogue, said: “We evaluated several engine options for the Celera 500L. The RED engine outperformed each one with exceptional efficiency through higher altitudes. We’re delighted to partner with RED on this aircraft using their certified engine.”

The RED A03 engine – at a glance

• Liquid-cooled V12, twin 6-cylinder bank, capable of independent operation with mutually independent critical engine sub-systems for each bank

• Type certification approval granted via EASA (TC.E.150) and FAA (E00092EN)

• Certified to operate on readily available Jet A1 and biodiesel

• Capable of 550+ takeoff horsepower and best-in-class fuel efficiency

• Controlled via fully redundant electronic engine control unit with a single power control lever reducing pilot workload

• Lightweight, all-aluminum design.