MICHAEL ZOCHE Antriebstechnik of Munich is preparing to begin production of its family of radial aero-diesel engines, with the first flight on an aircraft due to take place within six months.
Launch customer is Westinghouse Airships (WAI), which will fly the eight-cylinder, 220kW (300hp) ZO 02A engine on its Sentinel 1000 airship. To date, the airship has been powered by twin 190kW Porsche 930/67 engines.
The engine's first fixed-wing flight is to take place some three months later, when it will power an Extra 300 aerobatic aircraft. The Extra has so far been powered by a Textron Lycoming AEIO-540-L1B5.
The new engine has undergone 2,000h of bench testing, and is being offered alongside the four-cylinder, 110kW (150hp) ZO 01A and its two-cylinder stablemate, the 51kW ZO 03A.
Company managing director Michael Zoche says that the engines weigh only half as much as an equivalent conventional piston aero-engine, offering reduced fuel consumption. Fuel costs are about half those of a normal opposed-cylinder, spark-ignited engine. The frontal area is also halved.
Source: Flight International
