I have always maintained that a truck diesel in a low wing
loading aircraft would make a good banner tow aircraft.
Just replace the AC engine and hopper in a duster aircraft
with a truck diesel.

When I was in NZ a couple of years ago, a guy at Hastings Airfield where I
was flying had put a Nissan Patrol Diesel in a home built. I never saw it as
it was in a hangar getting a Lycoming fitted after the second engine
failure. It's a shame there are these negative examples, as the diesel is a
more efficient cycle. What are the chances of seeing 18:1 compression in a
Wankel Diesel without excessive seal blow by?

Mark Wrathal

Not good. Rolls Royce built some large two stage Wankel diesels
a few years ago. But I know very little about them or why
they gave up.
Paul Lamar

Jeff Spitzer wrote:

Rotaries have several other things working against them for true diesel
cycle besides sealing.  First is a geometric limitation that requires
multi-staging to reach high enough compression ratios.  Second is that the
huge face of the rotor is exposed to the high pressures making the internal
forces unreasonable.  Remember, the rotary is kinda like a hugely
oversquare piston engine with big bore and short stroke.  Third is the
lousy injection geometry that has been addressed fairly well in the
stratified charge engines.

Jeff Spitzer

 
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