What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Rotax Celebrates 40,000th 912 Engine

Geico266

Geico266

Well Known Member
Rotax announced the sale of the 40,000th 912 / 914 engine sold at Osh! Pretty impressive. A good reason why the US military picked the 914 for its small aircraft engine needs in the Predator weapons system and other unmanned drones. Another milestone was reached also...... 24,000,000 flight hours!

http://www.airventure.org/news/2011/110730_rotax.html

Vans picked the right engine for the RV-12.
 
Last edited:
Vans picked the right engine for the RV-12...

I agree. Mine works great and I am confident it will run a very long time.
 
40,000 engines!

It's a good engine, but you would think that after 40,000 sales they would have recovered their R&D costs a few times over, and be able to drop their prices.:confused:
 
Last edited:
Larry,

Forty thousand 912's and 80,000 carburetors. :)

No matter, the engine is an unqualified success.

Development work on the 0200 and 0235 for LSA application was not complete when the RV-12 was being designed and had either of those engines been available, it might be a different story.

I like the broad usefulness of the 912, if I read the specifications correctly, it is certified to use mogas with up to 10% ethanol. That is very good.

I priced 91 octane mogas without ethanol in Springfield, Mo on Saturday and it was $3.84. If that stuff were available around here, I would use it with the Lycoming in a heart beat, but there is no ethanol free fuel in this part of the state. But that would not be an issue with the 912.

I may have to go LSA and the 912 to get control of fuel costs. At $5-6 a gallon, flying is becoming a luxury of sorts. I'll bet there were many who spent $1000 just in fuel coming and going to OSH. I managed it at about $250 but we live fairly close in 318 nm direct.
 
Rotax 912 vs Continental O-100D vs Lycoming o-233

David-aviator said:
Development work on the 0200 and 0235 for LSA application was not complete when the RV-12 was being designed and had either of those engines been available, it might be a different story.
Click to expand...

I think Van's had a very close look at engines that were available and were about to be available. The power to weight figures of the Rotax 912ULS compared to the Continental O-200D and Lycoming O-233 are the most compelling.
Rotax 912 ULS
100 bhp/141 lbs
Continental O-200D lightweight
100 bhp/199 lbs
Lycoming O-233 lightweight
115 bhp/213 lbs

Continental had to go to some heroic measures to achieve this weight, such as machining the cylinder barrel fins down.

Now look at the RV-12 vs the Cessna Skycatcher
RV-12 - Rotax 912 ULS engine
Empty weight: 740 lbs
Gross weight: 1320 lbs
Useful load: 580 lbs
Fuel capacity: 20 gals (120 lbs)
With full fuel and 2 x 205 lb people and 50 lbs baggage you are at gross

Cessna 162 - Continental O-200D engine
Empty weight: 834 lbs
Gross weight: 1320 lbs
Useful load: 486 lbs
Fuel capacity: 24 gals (144 lbs)
With full fuel and 2 x 170 lb people you are at gross (no baggage)

I think the Rotax 912 ULS engine is the perfect engine for the LSA category
 
Best engine for LSA

[Text here that was promotional in nature was removed by the owner of the forums. Non advertisers cannot use the forums as a promotional tool. Answering a specific, technical question that can be verified with a source is of course allowed - and encouraged!
brandlogo.jpg
]​

Jan Eggenfellner.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
We all have our opinions, guess what engine I think is the perfect engine for the LSA category?
Hint: Look at my signature line.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top