Paul,
In an earlier post you wrote, "Rotamax is out of business."
Do you have any additional details?  This is the only bit of info I sawwhen
running a quick search-engine for Rotamax:
"RotaMax is out of the engine business following a crash of theSadler
vampire prototype that was powered by one of their two-rotor versions."

Their website is still up, but it is only one page.
ThanksKevin in Denver

Eric Barger is on here. He can respond if he wishes.

Paul Lamar

Paul and Kevin,

RotaMax has been shutdown due to lack of funding since September of last
year.

The principals continue to pursue options at this time that would allowfor
the business to continue operations and move engines into production.

In the 3 plus years spent in development, testing and integration of engines
there is some valuable knowledge, and more importantly some good lessons
learnt in the time spent in the various areas worked.

We have identified some changes that we would want to apply to the engine
technology (based on what we have learnt as well as credible input) as we
moved the engine into production.

The accident referenced in the comment below was ruled on by the NTSB, the
main cause of the Sadler accident was the PSRU. When the RotaMax team took
the engine apart in the presence of the FAA on behalf of the NTSB the PSRU
looked like a grenade had went off inside.

It is the belief of myself and the principals at RotaMax that there is in
fact much value in the lessons learnt to date, and that we have a good
understanding of the process, time and cost required to take our engineand
for that fact any rotary engine from concept to production.

The current financial conditions globally have hindered the ability forour
potential partners, and or us individually to raise the money required to go
into production. It would be our plan to make and test some changes in the
engine while ramping up to production.

I have personally traveled the globe and visited many of the Rotary engine
companies and or programs and know that the accomplishments of the teamat
RotaMax are worthy of compliment.

PS Paul thanks for your help and input as well, as your continued support of
the Rotary Engine for Aircraft page is very helpful, and more than a full
time job, I still would like to know when you sleep:-)

Eric Barger
President
RotaMax Inc



Thank you for the reply!  I have been on TDY status in Washington for a month
and have spent more time at the Air & Space Museum than I ever though possible.
They have a display of UAVs there that have either piston or turbine power plants.
I heard rumor that the Predator was powered by a rotary engine, but that isn't
true.  None are powered with rotary engines. In a display of early aviation,
I was quite surprised to see an engine tucked away into a dark corner - the
Wright Brother's 1913 engine with "rubber band" drive.  It has a flywheel
connected to the propeller shaft via small rubber bands made of fiber reinforced
belting to reduce vibrations.  The placard doesn't mention power pulse
harmonics, just that the belts substantially reduced vibrations.  I didn't
know that was a known problem before WW1!
Kevin in Denver  (temporarily in DC)

The Israels power their UAV's with rotaries they make themselves.
The Predator A is powered by a Rotax 914. I don't know about that Wright
engine but the one that first flew and most others had chain drive.
News to me :)

Paul Lamar