22 July 2003
Bombardier is going head-to-head with Lycoming and Continental with the unveiling of its long-awaited ‘new era’ V6 GA piston engines.
Its new V220 (220hp) and V300T (300hp, turbocharged), all-aluminium, liquid-cooled, 120º Vee engines will run on both Avgas and Mogas and are being certified for both fixed- and rotary-wing applications.
Bombardier claims that the all-aluminium construction means the engines will offer the best power to weight ratio available in piston engine technology and increase payloads. It also says that they will have low easy maintenance and be smoother and quieter than current aero engines. The low height of the Vee configuration should also allow airframe manufacturers to make more streamlined cowlings.
Both engines will controlled by a single FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) lever, meaning no mixture or prop controls to worry about. The digital engine management system will also allow car-style fault diagnosis from a computer port.
The public unveiling will be at Oshkosh (July 29-August 3) and we know of at least one major aircraft manufacturer who is already undertaking flight tests with the new engine.
<a href=”http://www.VaircraftEngines.com” target=”_blank”>www.VaircraftEngines.com</a>
