Testing Continuing On The Latest Powerplant

The latest offering from Rotax ... the 915 iS ...  should be available by the end of the year, the company announced at AirVenture.

Mark Becker, BRP Manager of Aircraft Business gave the update on the latest engine at EAA press headquarters Tuesday morning. He said that the new engine takes the best attributes of the 912 iS and the 914 and combines them for a more powerful injected engine.

Becker said that currently, the company is conducting ongoing testing for EASA certification of the engine, and anticipates that FAA certification will come shortly after approval by the European agency. ASTM certification for the LSA market is being done in parallel with the EASA process.

Becker said that there are already more than 30 manufacturers that are working with BRP on the certification process, and around 20 already have the engine installed, and some of those are flying. Some of those OEMs include Tecnam and Bristell. He said that many of the OEMs that are working on the certification process do not wish to be identified, but  "you may believe, once the engine is available, there will also be a lot of aircraft available for you," he said.

The engine will develop 135 horsepower at max takeoff, and the max continuous power will be 127 horsepower, Becker said. It will develop full power up to 15,000 feet, with a service ceiling of roughly 23,000 feet.
 
 The engine weighs 185 pounds dry, and about 220 pounds installed, and it will burn 6-8 gallons per hour. They still hope to be in serial production later this year, with the 915 iS available for purchase in North America late in 2017 or early in 2018.
 
(Staff image)

FMI: www.rotax.com