pilotweb.aero | Pilot June 2018 | 37temperature of the plasma within
the machine is an incredible
1,500°C and the light produced
by this process is so powerful
you cannot look directly at it,
we had to view the process via a
special mirror.
Visits to the areas where the
aero engines are built and tested
were particularly interesting. The
first motor Rotax made for an
aircraft was an air-cooled, two-
cylinder two-stroke, and for over
a decade the company dominated
the market with such well-known
engines as the 277, 503 and
- In fact, for many years the
production of two-stroke and
four-stroke engines was split
around 9:1 in favour of the
two-stroke, whereas these
days that relationship has been
completely reversed.
While watching engines being
run on the dynamometer, I asked
if there were any big differences
between the way fully certified
and ASTM-compliant engines are
built and tested−and was told
there isn’t. Each engine is built
using exactly the same materials
and to the same specifications,
Tech Log: Rotax 915iS
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT: one of the
‘smart’ tools; propeller drive mounting
station; engine final assemby; and
finished engines awaiting dyno testing
Technicians all
use dedicated
‘smart’ tools