Oh yeah. Thielert is making an aviation diesel that is BMW-based, I believe. It's presently installed in a Piper Cherokee for testing.
http://www.thielert.com/en/aicraft_industry/tae_125/content.html
Did you know that BMW's badge is a stylized white propeller against a blue sky?
WOW! A Guiberson on a Gull-Wing! Oo. Now, that's WAY Cool! I'd love to see that project.
Eric, I know of the manual you mentioned. The $35 kept me from buying it too. Besides, it's an encyclopedia of sorts, and I know what I want.
I'll be at Arlington again this year, soaking up all the aviation stuff... . particularly the Van's RVs. Betty Lee and I will be flying in, wx permitting. Ya goin', Larry?
As an aside, way back in the dark ages, when my Dad was still selling cars, Chrysler brought their '62 Plymouth Turbine-powered car out to Vancouver on a tour. After the dealership closed, a bunch of us got to go for a burn (!) in the thing. Like the C-130, it was reputed to be able to burn anything from perfume to peanut oil. It was kinda like the Cummins in that it took a second or so for the turbine to spool up before the thing would launch. With the free turbine, it didn't need no steenking torque converter! Sounded like a hoover, and the exhaust wasn't as acrid as a diesel. They had it idling in the showroom for quite a while, and nobody was desperate to get out. Just a faint odor of kerosene. It was also interesting to watch the factory console tach swing up to 20,000 RPM. It's unfortunate that the program never went anywhere.