At AirVenture 2016 at Oshkosh, Rotax announced it’s moving closer to bringing its in-development 915iS Sport engine to market. The turbocharged 915iS is the next-generation Rotax engine that’s capable of producing 135 HP at up to 15,000 feet and has a service ceiling of 23,000 feet. It weighs 185 pounds, including the turbocharger, and Rotax says it will have a 2000-hour TBO right out of the box.
Rotax said in its press conference at AirVenture this week that the 915iS has undergone 120 hours of flight testing since March 2016 and 7000 hours of bench testing. The first actual OEM installation is planned for September of this year to commence field testing. First customer flights are expected early in 2017, while SOP is planned for the second half of 2017. Rotax has not offered pricing or specific OEM applications. For more, see Rotax’s website.
