Frank Thielert, above: “What we have seen is that the automotive suppliers normally have a better quality and a better process capability than the typical aviation supplier.”

by Paul Bertorelli

If general aviation has had a piston engine success story recently, Thielert Aircraft Engines, based in the former East Germany, owns it. Four years ago, no one had heard of this upstart and now, thanks to Diamond’s edgy decision to use Thielert’s diesels in both the DA40 Star and its new Twin Star, Thielert is poised to dominate the world of Jet-A burning piston engines. Given the geological pace of engine evolution and the intractable hideboundedness of buyers, this is no small feat. …