Dude,

Diamond has
decided to offer Lycoming engines as an alternate for the Twin Star (which
must really please Textron)


Diamond has been bitten before when introducing a new engine to the US
market, the Rotax. So they're careful. The US market is strongly in the grip
of what I like to call "pilot inertia", as evident here in the group. "We've
always done it that way, so we'll keep doing it that way" is strong in the
pilot community. Also, a large part of the Twin Star market in the US is the
training market - and that market simply won't accept one-lever operation,
since it doesn't train for the real world of twin ops.

btw- It's enough horsepower for the skyhawk and cherokee planes.


Well, yes, kind of, at least in the case of the Cherokee. We have a
commercial Thielert-172 operator at my home field doing sightseeing flights
and such - he absolutely LOVES it.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)