I want a 50 HP, 100 lb Wankel for my ultralight -- it won't arrive until the rumors are killed).
Keith

Keith,

That kart engine that was mentioned of few months back was close to what you are looking for.  I think it's rated at 48hp...

http://www.nova-racing.com/nova_gb/index.htm

Heath

That one is close, but no kewpie.  41HP at 7800 RPM, so it would replace
a Rotax 377 or 447.  A three-rotor would do the job though, and the bare
2-rotor is only about 35 lbs so a three-rotor would weigh about 50 lbs.

I'm waiting to hear back from their American tech rep about pricing and
availability.  Going by the German site, the engine is over $5,000,
about a thousand more than the 447 and even more than the 50HP 503.

Of course, that's a lot cheaper than having a dead-stick over the wrong
terrain!

Keith

for what it's worth, I've been following up on the small German kart Wankel.
There are two aviation companies taking a hard look and using hardware in
tests:  Phantom ultralights and EZ-copter.  Phantom had 135 hours on their
test engine before it had a bearing problem in flight.  They were working on
a bearing fix in August or September of last year.  They did change carbs to
a Bing unit.  Phantom derated their engine from a claimed 50 hp to 40 hp at
7600 vs the 10,000 and claimed 50 hp as a kart engine.  They had a problem
with the waterpump belt at 10 hours and went to a different belt.  They are
looking at the possibility of a twin rotor in the 80 hp range but think it
won't happen for 2-3 years.  Haven't heard anything else.  The EZ-copter
guys are looking at 3 different engines for their coaxial egg beater.  They
rate their version of the German wankel kart engine at 46-47 hp and propose
to use two of them, through a box to drive their rotors.  There is another
small Wankel out there that looks similar to the AIXRO (German) kart engine.
The Italians have a single rotor called a Saetta.  249 cc displacement vx
the Aixro 294.  Oddly, the Italian mill is twin plug, the German's claimed
that it wasn't worth the tooling expense to go to twin plugs on the Aixro.
Film at 11.

George W


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