Anticipating demand for up to 5,000 light diesel aeroengines a year, Wilksch Airmotive has announced a manufacturing agreement with UK-based industrial diesel engine producer Lister Petter. The Gloucester production site will provide engine test facilities and fuel- injection system production capability, in addition to engine assembly.
Wilksch is in the final stages of testing the production version of its 120hp (90kW) WAM-120 three-cylinder turbocharged engine. The company says it will have production capacity by 2005 for between 250 and 500 engines a year, although Wilksch says the facility has the capacity ultimately to meet its projected 5,000 units a year.
The first production WAM-120 flew in a Thorp T211 kitplane in May 2003, winning praise from the pilots for its smoothness and simplicity. The engine is also undergoing testing on a Europa kitplane.
Wilksch says its design team is continuing work on its larger four-cylinder WAM-160, for which deliveries to fit aircraft are expected to begin next year.
Source: Flight International
