J K S TA E YLAN BY THOMAS B. HAINES PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE FIZER www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 53 | COVER STORY | FOR YOUR Diesel engine ushers in new era for venerable 182 While the debate about how to create an unleaded avgas for general aviation continues, Cessna leapfrogged the issue with its big announcement at EAA AirVenture this summer—a diesel engine for the Cessna 182 Skylane. Although the SMA SR305-230E engine works off the principles of a diesel engine, it is optimized to only burn Jet A fuel, which is available on airports worldwide—making the new 182 JT-A model especially appealing in parts of the world where conventional avgas is rare and breathtakingly expensive or simply not available. Ehttp://www.aopa.org/pilot