5 July 2016
The new 135hp Rotax 915 iS engine under development is performing well, according to Marc Becker, manager of aircraft business at BRP Rotax who talked to FLYER‘s Ed Hicks at the weekend’s AeroExpo event.
“We have about 70-75 hours of flight testing in an Aquila A211, and so far so good. The engine is really performing well. Take-off performance is really giving us high hopes for the end result. The gearbox is doing what it’s supposed to do and the engine is giving the power we’re seeing on the bench. So, we’re pretty optimistic that we’re right on track.
“We’re currently defining the final configuration to take to market, and in about September we will start to deliver the first R&D engines to selected OEMs for them to do installations and some ground testing. By the beginning of next year they will receive some updates which will allow them to takeoff with the engine and go flying.
“The engine is rated for 135hp maximum and 127hp continuous. We deliver that all the way up to 15,000ft due to the turbo which compensates pretty well for the altitude. Ceiling is going to be about 23,000ft.
Above: Rotax’s new 915 iS engine. Top: Marc Becker, head of Aircraft Business at BRP Rotax.
“We will offer the engine as certified and non-certified at the same time and we expect to start production in the third or fourth quarter next year [2017].”
Marc also said that Rotax expects to develop more powerful engines in the future.
“There is still some to come from the 4-cylinder layout,” he said, but would not comment further on the possibility of a 6-cylinder engine.
The Rotax 915 iS engine had its maiden flight in March this year fitted to an Aquila A211. It is a 4-stroke, 4-cylinder turbocharged aircraft engine with intercooler and a redundant fuel injection system.
