Spoilt for choice

[geoffreywh]

I was surfing this evening and I saw a website related to new radial engines..Eastern European, I don't know how far they have progressed but there are short video's on Youtube , Have a look at Verner Scarlett, 3, 5 and 7 cylinder radials, the 7 advertised as 90kgs? / 130hp. and approx 11500 Euro. May be early days yet?

 

 

[Gentreau]

Very pretty and sound nice, but, they're air-cooled. IMHO a major disadvantage.

 

 

[facthunter]

Gentreau. There's never been an engine more suited to aircooling than a radial. Can you name me a liquid cooled radial? Aircooling is simple and appropriate for aircraft, specially tractor installations and was much more reliable in war situations than liquid cooled engines. Nev

 

 

[cscotthendry]

Hmmm, I looked at their radials. The 5 cyl is reportedly 1.2L and produces 37HP!!! A Rotax 912ULS is about 1.2L and develops 100HP. Doesn't seem like a very efficient engine if those figures are correct.

 

 

[facthunter]

And having overhead camshaft heads doesn't seem appropriate (One model). Perhaps they are off a proprietary engine?. I think they are direct drive too. The Rotec is geared. Nev

 

 

[Gentreau]

Gentreau. There's never been an engine more suited to aircooling than a radial. Can you name me a liquid cooled radial? Aircooling is simple and appropriate for aircraft, specially tractor installations and was much more reliable in war situations than liquid cooled engines. Nev

Hi Nev, my point was not that radials should be water cooled, only that my engine should be.

 

Since the local farmers don't often shoot at me when I go flying, I reckon that the advantages of liquid cooling vastly outweigh any risks.

 

Those engines look and sound good and are probably appropriate for certain installations such as replicas, but not for me.

 

 

[facthunter]

You are entitled to think like that, completely. Most aero engines are aircooled. I think it would be wrong to consider they are less reliable because of that feature .Tug planes could do with liquid cooling but I can't think of an airliner that was certified in this country that was liquid cooled. Nev

 

 

[geoffreywh]

Salmson produced a whole swag of water cooled radials. Appear to have been quite successful. I think they barked up the wrong tree. Why would you put up with all that round engine frontal drag and then not use it?