Rotax 915iS in RV9

[bobnoffs]

i think ''mogas'' is what is in the tank in the ground. it is 91 octane no lead for $3.99/gal at my airport now.

[ccast04]

Has anyone reached out to the factory to see what modifications would need to be done to accommodate the different engine?

[GeoffM]

Originally Posted by hpmicrowave

In a discussion with a reliable source at the end of Sun n Fun this past weekend I was told about an ongoing flight test program with a RV9 and a Rotax915is. The source said the upgraded RV9 can easily keep up with the RV fleet at 9k and above. The conversion package his company is working on will be complete with prop, cowling, and firewall forward and will be brought out soon when all the testing and details are complete.

On the other hand this might just be a Rotax POC working with Vans Aircraft developing the firewall forward design details for the RV15??

From my experience with the 915is I believe it's one, if not the most sophiscated reciprocating aircraft engine available today. It's fully computerized with redundant computer, fuel and ignition systems, turbo charged and inter cooled, gets full power to around 15k, computer will always work to get the most efficient fuel power combination with the single power lever. Burns mogas including ethanol mogas as well as avgas. And uses oil like a modern car engine does. Oil changes every 100 hours using unleaded fuel and 50 hours with leaded avgas. It's not cheap but it's operating costs will make it a good option for many folks.

Your source sounds very reliable indeed. Here's a flight out of Sebring with one of the Vans company RV-9s (N179RV) that is registered with a Rotax 915. There were a handful of flights the end of April. This particular flight went up to an altitude of 17k where it looks like the ground speed topped out at 190 kts!

[BTG1996]

Originally Posted by GeoffM

Your source sounds very reliable indeed. Here's a flight out of Sebring with one of the Vans company RV-9s (N179RV) that is registered with a Rotax 915. There were a handful of flights the end of April. This particular flight went up to an altitude of 17k where it looks like the ground speed topped out at 190 kts!

Did you notice the 1,200-1,400fpm climb from 14k to 17k? WOW!

I hope they build a new cross-country airplane around that engine- the RV16 will be a great second plane for me to build.

[EdH]

That RV-9 might even be flying with the 161hp Rotax 916iS. Sebring would be a good place for development flying given Lockwood Aviation’s activities there

I heard the guys at Sling mention that the 916iS will be with GA consumers in the next 12 or so months. See this video from 44mins 40 onwards. https://youtu.be/lcFg7J5lIWw

[KRviator]

If I were building a -9 now, I would install a 915 without hesitation. Slightly less HP down low, significantly more HP up high - and that's where the -9 shines in comparison to her short-winged brethren.

The ability to (mroe easily) run Mogas is a big plus, too. Yes, I know a lot of VAFer's run Mogas now - myself included - however, I've had several vapour lock issues depending on blend, the 915, or EFI on a Lycoming, would avoid those issues.

[airguy]

If Lockwood releases a FWF kit for this, I may just have a nice mid-time IO360 for sale.

That engine fits my mission profile perfectly.

[BTG1996]

I am really hopeful that the RV16 will be a xc machine with the Rv9 wing and a Rv14'ish cockpit. Looks like this thing is turning ~170ktas at altitude with 1,400 fpm climb all the way up. I'm sure all hand on deck to the RV15 launch, but pretty cool to see continued testing on this plane.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/.../KSEF/tracklog

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

[avrojockey]

Originally Posted by mags591

That is awesome. I was not aware of this. I will have to do some more research. I am a newbie when in the aviation world.

Do you need any sort of aftermarket modifications to do this or is the engine capable of burning Mogas from the factory? What is your performance like with the mogas vs. 100LL in the O-320?

The biggest threat in your area will be vapor lock on a warm spring day. You may encounter winter-blend gas which vaporizes easier at lower temperatures. This may be mitigated several ways, but the easiest is to run on tank with 100LL (or 50/50) and takeoff and land on that tank.

[airguy]

Testing has shown that as little as 10% 100LL in a tank of mogas can significantly drop the vapor pressure and (help) prevent vapor lock. You get most of the benefit of reduced vapor pressure by the 25% mixture point.