Paul;

     I hate to say it but it looks as though you were right. I am
begining to believe that Freedom-Motors is never going to produce an
engine. I have called and talked to Bruce Calkins several times over

the

last two years and they are always 2 years away from producing an

engine.

According to them it is practically mission impossible, yet I see

several

engine manufacturers producing new engines all the time. I don't know

why

they can't get their act together, but I am begining to think that they
don't want to. I don't know if this is some kind of a big money pit or
what, but I have just about lost all patience with them.

Thanks,
Mark

george wright wrote:

I've also talked to Calkins recently.  The 530 series engines have been

"put

on hold".  The larger versions are supposed to be the point of

negotiations

with a chinese manufacturer.  You're right, they don't seem to be trying

to

get any "beta" engines out there.  Calkins told me that the 530 series are
intended as constant speed industrial engines and overheat with repetitive
changes of throttle.  They are air/oil cooled.  Sachs  and Norton made it
work under pretty demanding duty cycles.  I wonder what their problem is?

They are manufacturing press releases and selling worthless stock.

Paul Lamar

François Badoux wrote:

I visited Diamond Aircraft and Diamond Engines (heir of the Midwest and
Norton technology)last January. As you know, they have abandoned the
manufacturing of their 2-rotor 105hp engines and manufacture only their
single-rotor 50hp engine in limited quantities (~25 units per year) for
motor-gliders.  They are developing a larger 70hp single-rotor engine and
claim they will ultimately get 80-85hp out of it.

It seems that the technology of air-cooling the rotor limits the maximum
power of such engines to a single rotor developing 70 or 80hp because it is
impossible to circulate enough air through the shaft for cooling a more
powerful engine.  Although I am not fully familiar with the Freedom Motors
technology, it might be the technological barrier they are hitting.  In
addition, the Norton technology sprays an oil mist into the cooling airflow
and recuperates it in a condenser.  But this recuperation is far from 100%
efficient and a substantial amount of oil is vented overboard in the
slipstream, coating the aircraft tail surfaces with a greasy film.

At least, it is what I understood, "listening between the words" of what
Diamond technical director told us.

Francois Badoux

 
The Rotary Engine NewsLetter.  Powered by Linux.
ACRE NL web site. http://home.earthlink.net/~rotaryeng/            
Copyright 1998-2004 All world wide rights reserved.