Dear Paul,
  What is the current development status of that German Diesel
  Rotary engine? Could you give some guidance as to its improvement in
  performance; and also any flight tests it has it been subjected to ?

 The Wankel Company: <http://www.wankel-ag.de/seite1_e.html See under
 "Development".
 Not much there; and the site's not very active, but perhaps they're just
 IT-shy...

 See also:

 1. <http://www.cubewano.com/ Small, but interesting development. Described
 as "heavy-fuel", but I don't know quite what that means.

 These could power the Cri-Cri twin
 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colomban_Cri-cri,
 <http://www.flight.cz/cricri/english/ or
 <http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/2-stroke-
 aircaft-engines/1679-cri-cri-engines.html

 2. <http://www.woelfle-engineering.com/Produkte/produkte_XFXH40_en.html
 Not diesel
 (yet), but this one is being used in small aviation applications
 (microlights, powered
 paragliders)


 Rob

 Heavy fuel means it burns diesel but it is not a true diesel.
 Power is down from burning gasoline so it makes no sense with the
 intrinsic increased cost of diesel fuel.

 http://www.austroengine.at/cms/front_content.php?idart=37

 BTW Do you have a tail dragger training FPO up there Rob?

 Paul Lamar


Fuel cost: in France, JetA is about half the price of Aviation gasoline, and
diesel-fuel for cars is about 30% cheaper than the auto-gasoline.
So it makes a lot of sense to run a wankel on jetA
Philippe CHENEVIER



In Europe. It is all politics and taxes. Diesel fuel is only 9 gallons
out of a 40 gallon barrel while gasoline is 20 gallons.
This ill conceived gasoline tax structure ($5 or more per gallon tax on gasoline) in Europe is causing the price of diesel fuel to go up in the rest of the world. IMHO diesel fuel should be saved for trucks and tractors.
Trucks carry food so the price of food goes up as well in the rest of
the world.

If the tax was fair the diesel car sales would essentially disappear as it has in the US. Also I might add diesel particulates (AKA smoke) are carcinogenic which apparently Europe is ignoring. The Le Mans rules also promote diesel fuel but they require the diesel race cars to use large expensive smoke filters so the diesel engines accelerate better with out emitting the resultant smoke. You don't read about that because it is treated as a secret to keep the masses in the dark :) Have you ever seen a tractor pull ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2Eo7QejzcI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hrjF0L-cQw&feature=related

The crowds are clapping while they get lung cancer :)

The diesel engine is being replaced by supercharged V8 car engines
or gas turbines.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91hMPXLjrkc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCsSVLZ6wCI


Horse Power is what it is all about.
I love the huge aircraft radial engine version.

Paul Lamar