An Aero-TV Powerplant Profile: The Rotax 914 Rotax's 'Mighty Mite' Remains One Of The Best Bets In Sport Or GA At the US Sport Aviation Expo, Aero-TV caught up with an old friend, Eric Tucker... a guy who is known worldwide as "Mr. Rotax." The most well-known (and easily the hardest working) expert on the Rotax 900 series sport and certified engines, Eric took a few minutes to help us profile each of the amazingly compact, powerful and fuel-efficient 900 series engines starting with our personal favorite... the 115 HP Turbocharged Rotax 914. With a dry weight of 141 pounds, the Rotax 914 UL DCDI 115HP engine is a 4-stroke turbocharged engine specially developed for recreational aircraft. It also exists in a certified version as the Rotax 914 F, that received its first cert in 1996. Additonal features include: 4 horizontally opposed cylinders, "boxer" configuration Free air cooled cylinders, liquid cooled cylinder heads with integrated pump and expansion tank Dry sump forced lubrication with integrated pump and separate oil tank 8 valves, automatic adjustment by hydraulic valve tappet Dual Capacitor Discharge Ignition (DCDI) with RFI noise suppression Garrett turbocharger with automatic waste gate control Two Bing Constant Depression (CD) carburetors Two electric fuel pumps Integrated electric starter Integrated reduction gearbox, ratio of 2.43:1 with optional slipper clutch Various liquid and oil radiators available Many option available such as: Vacuum pump, external alternator, hydraulic propeller governor Operates on automotive fuel with a minimum octane rating of 91 (Canadian standards) Time Between Overhauls (TBO): 1200 hours* It produces 115 hp at 5,800 rpm (with a 5 minute time limit) and 100hp Max continuous Among the aircraft that utilize the Rotax 914 to best effect, the list includes birds like the General Atomics RQ-1 Predator, Titan T-51 Mustang, Magni Autogyro, Stemme motor glider, Diamond Hk36 Super Dimona, the Europa XS and the Heli-Sport CH7 ...
