Pilot

January 1999

 

"New British diesel engine"

"Milton Keynes based Wilksch Airmotive Limited has developed a new three-cylinder, 120hp two-stroke liquid cooled diesel aeroengine that has completed more that 250 hours of bench testing and has made several flights in a modified Piper Cub. Led by former Cosworth and Arrows F1 team engineer Mark Wilksch, the company says it is very pleased with the handling and overall performance of the engine, which is about the same size as a Lycoming O-200 or O-235, although to obtain a neat installation and reduced cooling drag a new mounting frame and cowling will be required for retro-fits. The engine will run on diesel or turbine fuels; TBO is expected to be 1,000-2,000 hours. It will be flight tested in a Europa XS this year. Europa's Ivan Shaw describes the Wilksch engine as "the most exciting development we have heard about in a long time". Wilksch can be contacted at 12 Pattison Lane, Woolstone, Milton Keynes MK18 0AX, tel: 01908 392003, fax: 691619."