>>> 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


Thanks for the update George..  I still think the scaled down rotary
engines (especially the twins) make more sense than a single rotor Mazda
(13b/2 = 6.5b?).  It will run smoother (easier on the PSRU) and probably
weigh less - the housings are sized for lower total output, and the PSRU
can be lighter weight because it doesn't have to deal with the torsional
extremes of the single.


Regards,

Matt-

Diamond Chris Dries <c.dries@diamond-air.at>

The Rotary Engine NewsLetter. Powered by Linux.
ACRE NL web site. http://www.rotaryeng.net
Copyright 1998-2006 All world wide rights reserved.