Kitplane Engines - Rotax 912 / 914 Series

Today I will cover some of the current engines used by various Kitplane companies and builders. There are both air-cooled and liquid-cooled powerplant options, and I will take a look at a few of the common choices available. The engine choices I will document today are in the 90 hp to 130 hp range which fits with the horsepower requirements for many Kitplanes. For Kitplane builders, one of the criteria for engine selection is the type of fuel used and I will point out those details. I wanted today's blog post set up as a Kitplane engine reference guide, so you will see many informational links throughout this posting.

The first engine I will cover here is the well known Rotax 912 and 914 series. The Rotax 912 / 914 series are 4-cylinder, 4-stroke liquid/air cooled engines with opposed cylinders. The 914 series is similar to the 912 but has turbocharging added for better performance at higher altitudes. Both the 912 and 914 offer a 2000 hour TBO (Time Before Overhaul) and over 15,000 units have been sold worldwide. There is wide range acceptance for the Rotax engines throughout the Kitplane market and this engine has become a very popular choice. This series of Rotax engines are approved for the use with Ethanol E10, MOGAS, and AVGAS fuels.

Rotax 912 and 914 (Turbocharged) series basic details;

4-stroke, 4 cylinder horizontally opposed, dual spark ignition engine, one central camshaft, pushrods, OHV -

• Liquid cooled cylinder heads, ram air-cooled cylinders
• Dry sump forced lubrication
• Heavy duty electric starter and starter relay
• Dual breakerless, capacitor discharge ignition
• Rectifier/regulator
• Electronic dual ignition
• Integrated reduction gearbox (i=2.43) with slipper clutch
• Integrated AC generator
• Mechanical (engine driven) fuel pump
• R.F.I. suppression
• 2 carburetors

Now I want to show you a few videos that showcase the Rotax 912 series engine;

"Aero-TV" 912 Intro - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gp8HjONlKw

Short 912 Intro/Update video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne9OiHslMIM

Detailed 912 Intro/Update video made for ASA - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tMZhdZBuPA&feature=related


Reference Section -

Full Rotax 912 specs/details - http://www.rotax-aircraft-engines.com/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-62/85_read-69/

Full Rotax 914 spec/details - http://www.rotax-aircraft-engines.com/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-59/86_read-70/


The Central USA Rotax Independent Service Center - http://www.leadingedge-airfoils.com/index.htm

Kodiak Research Ltd (North American Distributor) -
http://www.kodiakbs.com/

Rotax Owners Association - http://www.rotax-owner.com/