Adept Airmotive Designs And Engine For The Future

By Eric Van Gilder

South Africa-based Adept Airmotive showcased their new engine at Oshkosh. The company is targeting the 260 to 320 horsepower engine market.

The engine weighs 320 lbs dry and is 14 inches narrower than the IO-550. It is capable of running on Avgas, Mogas and biofuels. It uses air and liquid cooling using a dry sump, giving it aerobatic capability. Adept use green manufacturing processes. The engine design is made with the mechanic in mind using advanced materials and manufacturing processes. The company says a 100 hour inspection can be done for $120 using standard tools, and that the open design is aesthetically pleasing and fuel efficient. The intake manifold is made of carbon fiber.

In the current test aircraft, a Ravin, the engine burns 10 gallons per hours at cruising speeds of 200+ knots. There are plans to fly the Ravin from the east to west coast of the United States non-stop.

Adept Airmotive currently has five orders from people flying a variety of aircraft in different environments and using multiple engine parameters to collect as much data on the engines as possible. They have 86 orders for engines in the pipeline, and the company states that they are currently 20-24 months from certification.

The throttle body design is different from the standard butterfly, utilizing a clamshell type opening that when fully open, creates a smooth bore. The engine is capable of running with a catalytic converter with no loss of power.

A key selling point is the cost. For a brand new engine from the firewall forward, minus the propeller, sells for around $50,000, about the cost of a remanufactured engine. The engine can be mounted on end for helicopters.

(ANN Staff Image)

FMI: www.adeptairmotive.com