Paul,
What do you think is the factor that prevented the rotary from
becoming widely acceptable in aviation? The concept is clear, and
there are many people interested in it. Some have already worked on
it for decades. However, there has been no commercial success.
Gordon Gao
That is partly because to FAA certify an engine one must have paper trail
from the mine to the air for each and every part.
Mistral came close but Mistral CEO insisted on EFI.
The FAA wanted no part of EFI because they had no programmers
on staff that understood EFI and to test the EFI program. There could
be one or more
bugs that might prove to be fatal. Lycoming has been trying for years
and the FAA refuses
to certify EFI. I discussed this many times with Mistral and they were too
stubborn (or dumb :-)) to replace the EFI with a certified FAA
carburetor and certified
magnetos. Or even certified mechanical fuel injection for that matter.
If Mistral had done that the engine would have gone through the test with
flying colors. Pardon the pun.
In fact, in the past few weeks, our 200 pound, 650 HP, turbo TTC engine
has exceeded
the FAA full power certification test of five minutes several times.
This despite the
fact that we are running a manifold pressure that would blow the
cylinder heads off
any certified aircraft engine. The silicon nitride apex seals have a
projected
life of 20,000 hours. Not 2,000 hours TWENTY THOUSAND hours.
To quote Alexander Schleicher:
https://www.alexander-schleicher.de/en/flugzeuge/ask-21-mi/
"The well-proven, liquid and air cooled rotary engine produced by Austro
Engine, is also installed in the ASK 21 Mi. It�s equipped with a dual
ignition system and a fuel injection system for optimum ease of
operation. This compact engine system with the special designed
Schleicher propeller has proved its reliability in more than 500
self-launching Schleicher gliders.
Thanks to the electronic fuel-injection system, the fuel consumption is
significantly lower compared to conventional two-stroke engines. Our 23
litre fuselage tank allows approx. 1,5 hour of engine running. Its
modern fuel injection system features automatic altitude compensation to
ensure that the generous power output of 41 kW (56 hp) is hardly
compromised at altitude.
Another major advantage of the engine is the vibration-free running at
all power settings. This allows extended power cruising for ferry
flights and avoids the usual �Saw tooth� climb/cruise method. Even
flying through controlled airspace at an assigned altitude presents no
problem to this aircraft or its engine. It is best conducted at approx.
140 km/h (70 to 75 kt) and represents another most welcome advantage
over conventional two-stroke technology."
Compact and maintenance friendly
A folding drive belt allows the engine to remain stationary in the
fuselage where it is permanently connected to a large volume muffler.
Only the propeller made by Schleicher, extends from the fuselage and can
fully be retracted. It keeps the air resistance as low as possible.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Concerning maintenance, this engine also offers great advantages. The
entire power plant can be easily removed. It has no service life
limitations and doesn�t require an overhaul after reaching a certain
number of running hours or years of service."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
End quote.
NO TBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. It does not wear out :-)
Apparently the European FAA are not concerned with EFI.
Paul Lamar
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