New Competition For Rotax... The Viking Gold Line Appears Ready For PrimeTime

One of the banes of existence in the certified airplane game is the fact that we haven't seen much in the way of change among Powerplants in quite the while. Even in the LSA community, most of the airframes are committed to one variant of Rotax or another -- with few deviation from that 'norm.' BUT... there's a new sheriff in town and its ready to make a stand.

While perusing the many enticing wares at the 2012 Sebring LSA flight fest, we had the chance to see the latest offering from Viking Aircraft Engines. Their new gold edition engine is the brainchild of builder Jan Eggenfellner and shares moving parts with the Honda Fit automobile, the Honda outboard marine engine and a Honda race engine, according to the company (but keep in mind that the aircraft powerplant IS NOT manufactured by Honda).

The 1,497 cc engine develops 110 horsepower at 5,800 RPM, or 83 HP at a 75% power. It burns 87 octane mogas with up to 10% Ethanol content, or 100LL if auto fuel is not available. Viking claims as many as 150 installations are in the works for Zenith, Sonex, RV-12, Highlander, Escapade, and SeaRey airplanes, as well as other popular LSAs. The Viking-110 firewall-forward package is $12,995.

FMI: www.vikingaircraftengines.com, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews