Flexible Fuel Choices
By ANN Contributor Rob Finfrock
Aircraft Engine Systems, Inc., distributor of the new
Bombardier-Rotax V220 and V300T (turbocharged) V-6 piston engines,
has many reasons that a customer should consider their
liquid-cooled engines over air-cooled counterparts.
"The automotive sector abandoned air-cooled, flat engines
decades ago," reads the company's press material. "Even the fabled
Porsche 911 has been liquid-cooled since 1999!"
Those statements reflect the significant advantage of
liquid-cooled engines in any application: more consistent cooling.
By circulating the cooling agent throughout the entire engine
block, all engine components are kept at a more uniform operating
temperature. In an air-cooled engine, components further away from
the air induction source can run hotter than the rest of the
engine, causing thermal stress.
There are other advantages to utilizing the V300T, the engine on
display at AES's booth at Oshkosh 2005, as well. According to Lead
Integration Engineer David Medina, the advanced engine also offers
enhanced durability at less weight.
"It's going to be slightly lighter than the competitors'
300-horsepower engines," says Medina. "The 540 Lycoming, the 550
Continental… and that's fully equipped, including the
radiator."
"It can run auto fuel, or 100 Low Lead, or any combination
thereof, with a minimum of 91 Octane," continued Medina. "The ECU
(engine control unit) will automatically adjust for optimum
performance."
Both the V220 and V300T utilize Fully Automated Digital
Electronic Controls (FADEC) that in Medina's words will allow for
"automotive style operation and reliability." Both engines can also
power electronically driven Primary Flight Displays (PFDs) and
Multi Function Displays (MFDs,) in keeping with industry
advancements in glass cockpit technology.
"The engines have received many thousands of hours of testing,
including over 600 hours in the air, in three or four different
platforms," said Medina. The company had on display at their
Oshkosh booth a disassembled engine that was subjected to one
thousand hours of testing.
AES is currently working with their launch customer, at the
moment referred to only as "a major OEM aircraft manufacturer,'
towards receiving Part 33 certification. "They've asked for some
changes to the engine," says Medina. "Which we're doing, and the
timetable is based on their certification efforts."