The Porsche aircraft engine (indeed, no Porsche engine since the early
50s) has **nothing** in common with VWs other than air cooling and
being a horizontally opposed piston engine. It is/was based on the 911
flat
6 which is *EXTREMELY* durable - **many** Daytona/LeMans 24 hr class
and overall wins over the last 30+ yrs. You might as well call a 520
Continental
a VW based design. I've built *many* VWs (car/ few airplane) and own a
911
and fly two Continentals and a Lycoming.
If you want to really do the *right* thing for an aircraft rotary, you
need
to learn
from many years experience with piston aircraft engines. You need a big
enough displacement engine to make your required HP at 2800 RPM max
and you need to air cool it. These parts of the aircraft engine
optimization
over the last 50+ yrs *are* correct. Water cooling is subomptimal as is
a
geared
engine. No offense on the Mazda - it is the only thing available. I am
only
talking about a multimillion $ clean sheet of paper design. Near zero
probability, but an aircooled, direct drive, peripheral ported two rotor
with proper thrust bearings designed in and burning two-stroke oil
injected
from a separate tank, with a fuel and ignition system like Tracy's would
be *EXTREMELY* good and would really be a new breakthru in aircraft
motors. Dream on. In the real world the Mazda can be made to work,
we all need to make the best and safest systems to keep the whole
installation
as reliable as the core engine.
Bill
Long EZ builder & pilot
mechanical engineer
George Lendich wrote:
Bill,
What is a 911
TIA
George (down under)
Surely you have Porsches down under George? A 911 is a Porche model.
Paul Lamar
Porsche's longest selling model, first came out in 1965 with a two liter
aircooled flat 6, rear engine. Developed for over 35 years. Current
versions have a water cooled flat six, about 3.5 liters. * Very* fast,
in my personal opinion, one of the ultimate sports cars of the century.
Has won more sports car endurance races (street versions to *highly*
modified factory 'silhouette racers') like Lemans, Sebring and Daytona
than any other car. I'd be quite surprised if they didn't sell them in
Australia, but perhaps you have been deprived. Just got back from
the Daytona Rolex 24, Porsche 911s covered 6 of 8 top finishing positions,
even tho various prototype pure racers were faster. The faster guys
all broke. A factory Corvette won and team car was 4th. A 13B powered
SR P2 (sports racing prototype, under 2 liters (I think)) Kudzu was
the highest placed prototype (pure racer) at about 10th. Sounded
great at the end and even with a muffler was *loud* - exhaust system ran
red hot to the tip at top end - neat looking at night. Latest model RX7
turbo finished, not sure where. Finishing a 24 hr race at all is a feat.
Bill
Long EZ builder & pilot
mechanical engineer
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