Graham Warwick/Atlanta
Switzerland's MDB Flugtechnik reports "enormous interest" in its FM2600 aircraft engine, following the powerplant's debut in a Stoddard-Hamilton GlaStar kitplane at the Oshkosh show in late July. The FM2600 is an all-new, liquid-cooled, four-cylinder engine producing 120kW (161hp) normally aspirated and 150kW turbocharged.
MDB is owned by Max Daetwyler, designer of the MD3-160 Swiss Trainer - the rights to which were sold to Malaysia, where the two-seat aircraft will be built as the SME AeroTiga. Daetwyler foresaw the need for a new-technology aircraft engine and began work on a clean-sheet design. Now he is seeking a partner, or buyer, to certificate and produce the powerplant.
Five engines have been produced, says Peter Daetwyler, president of US-based subsidiary, MDB Aerospace. One has been installed in an MD3 and flight-testing has been under way in Switzerland since January, he says. Another is being flight-tested in the USA, in the two-seat GlaStar.
The FM2600 incorporates the latest advances in car-engine technology, but is designed from scratch as an aircraft powerplant, says Daetwyler. All systems are redundant, as required for certification, and the engine can run on unleaded, high-octane, car fuel.
Design features include ease of use and low noise. Full-authority digital engine control (FADEC) allows single-lever operation and a flat-panel instrument displays engine parameters, emergency procedures and maintenance records. MDB is evaluating FADECs produced by Rotorway and Hamilton Standard, Daetwyler says.
The FM2600 runs at 4,500rpm but drives the propeller at 1,700rpm, via a front-mounted gearbox, to reduce noise. The engine is "extremely quiet", says Daetwyler, achieving 62dB in the MD3, compared with 71dB for the basic Textron Lycoming-powered MD3. The FM2600 fits in standard Lycoming or Teledyne Continental engine mounts.
Source: Flight International
