Engines

In one of the more unusual press releases we’ve seen, RAM Aircraft LP, a Waco, Texas, engine and mod shop, says Continental Motors’ recent acquisition of ECi “will cost everyone in general aviation.” RAM implies that the loss of competition will drive prices higher on certain engine components that both Continental and ECi, as an […]

Pratt & Whitney’s venerable PT-6 turbine is one of the marvels of aviation. But like everything else in aviation, it requires overhaul. In this engaging video, AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli gives us a tour of Continental Motors’ United Turbine division, which specializes in the PT-6. view on YouTube

Rutan Lays Hands on the 915 iS I was in the Rotax booth on Tuesday shooting avideo on the new 915 iS when Burt Rutan, towing a small entourage, popped in. He hadn’t heard about the new engine, but when Marc Becker rattled off the specs, Rutan pronounced it the perfect engine for his new […]

While the industry awaits the certified replacement for leaded avgas, Swift Fuels says it’s moving forward with a plan to market an aviation-approved low-octane fuel suitable for a significant portion of the fleet that doesn’t require 100-octane fuel for high-horsepower engines. The fuel is an unleaded 94-motor octane product approved under an aviation spec, according […]

No one was expecting it, but at AirVenture 2015, Rotax introduced a new engine, the 135-hp turbocharged 915 iS. The company says it’s expected to be available by about 2017. Rotax/BRP’s Marc Becker gave AVweb briefing on the new engine. view on YouTube

For at least a year, Rotax has been hinting at a new higher horsepower engine and on Tuesday at AirVenture, it delivered. The new, 135-hp turbocharged 915 iS is a follow-up to the 912 iS introduced in 2012. Although the new engine shares similarities with the 912 iS, it has a reinforced crankshaft, newly designed […]

At AirVenture 2015, Superior Air Parts provided a progress report on their new Gemini three-cylinder diesel, showing off an installation in an American Legend Cub. view on YouTube

Although Continental gets all the press for its diesel program, Lycoming also has a diesel engine, which is it now beginning to produce in small volume. The engine will eventually be certified. In this video, Lycoming’s Michael Kraft gave AVweb a briefing on the DEL120. view on YouTube

Diamond Aircraft’s Austria headquarters is well along with a third-generation hybrid-drive electric aircraft design that it hopes will serve as a certification template for future electric aircraft. The new airplane is based on a DA40 composite airframe, but rather than a geared conventional prop driven by a diesel engine, the aircraft will have a single […]

If it sometimes seems that the entire aerospace industry is given over to developing ways to plant cameras in the sky to spy on people and things, it’s probably because the entire aerospace industry is given over to developing ways to plant cameras in the sky to spy on people and things. Although the actual […]