Lockwood Aviation Launches a Rotax 916 Firewall Forward Package for RV-9 Owners

Lockwood Aviation recently presented its turnkey solution to make the Van’s RV-9A a high-altitude, high-speed, and high-efficiency cruiser: a firewall-forward kit with the 160-horsepower Rotax 916 iS. Every bit of the package is tailored to the airframe for a simple yet sturdy engine swap.

Van’s originally approached Phillip Lockwood with the idea to put a Rotax 915 on an RV-9 airframe they had lying around. They wanted a firewall forward kit for more power, but didn’t have time to take the project on alone while they remained hard at work on the recently-launched RV-15.

This concept eventually turned into a Rotax 916 firewall-forward kit, with the only design modification being an additional dorsal fin to balance out the longer nose and help with spin recovery.

“Other than that, from the firewall forward is all new. From the firewall back, it’s a totally stock RV-9,” Lockwood said.

The performance numbers speak for themselves: 190 knots at 19,000 feet, burning 8.5 gallons per hour. Economy cruise settings deliver 150 knots at 4.5 gph at 19,000 feet. A cruise climb at 120 knots produces more than 800 fpm while still staying in the 8.5–8.8 gph range.

Those interested in owning a 160-horsepower RV-9 will start with the typical Van’s kit, then go to Lockwood for the engine, carbon fiber cowling, three-blade MT Propeller, governor, spinner, and all the other bits and bobs in a comprehensive, completely custom package. Rotax also throws in a 5-year, 2000-hour warranty to sweeten the deal.

Aero-TV is a production of the Internationally syndicated Aero-News Network. Seen worldwide by hundreds of thousands of aviators and aviation adherents, ANN's Aero-TV has produced well over 5000 aviation and feature programs, including over 2500 episodes of our daily aviation news program, AIRBORNE UNLIMITED, currently hosted by Holland Lee. Now in its third decade of operation, parent company Aero-News Network, has the most aggressive and intensive editorial profile of any aviation news organization and has published well over a half-million news and feature stories since its inception -- having pioneered the online 24/7 aviation new-media model that so many have emulated.

©2025 Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved

FMI: www.rv916.com, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork