By ANN Correspondent Kevin "Hognose' O'Brien

Superior took the success of its experimental XP-360 engine line to the next logical level Thursday, April 15, 2004, with the introduction of the Vantage 360. The Vantage incorporates the improvements that Superior engineered into the in an FAA certified package.

The type certificate, #E000001SC, was presented to Superior at a press conference at Sun-n-Fun. All participants hailed the Vantage engine project as a model of industry/FAA partnership. The Superior employees uniformly praised the support and assistance of the FAA in accomplishing something that was entirely new to the company, which despite being in its fourth decade of making parts for certified engines, had never manufactured a complete certified engine before.

Feeds and Speeds: The Vantage O-360./IO-360 at a Glance

The Vantage 360 is a 4-cylinder, 361-cubic-inch engine that produces 180 horsepower. It is available carbureted or injected, and bolts up to conical, and Type 1 and  2 Dynafocal mounts. It can be used with fixed-pitch or constant-speed propellers and has a max RPM of 2700.

Both the carbureted and injected engines are certified "out of the box" to burn 91 octane unleaded Mogas, 100 LL Avgas, and the projected 91/98 UL Avgas.  In other words, whatever happens with 100LL in the coming years you'll be ready - even if whatever turns out to be nothing.

The injected engine is approved for installation in Aerobatic aircraft. All versions of the engine weigh 290 Lbs, give or take 2 or 3.

Why They Say Theirs Is Better

Superior's president Chuck Dedmon and project manager Keith Blockus were justifiably proud of their new baby, and determined to make us understand why.

• The engine is certified for 80% cruise: in other words, 144 cruise HP instead of 135.
• Better BSFC than any competitor: .43 lb/hp/hr (you may remember using the old .5 rule-of-thumb).
• Certified to FAR 33 Amendment 20 (Competitors' engines are mostly grandfathered under less stringent CAR 13 certification standards).
• Better crank oiling
• Dynamically-balanced VAR crank
• Static and Dynamically balanced reciprocating parts.
• Computer optimized camshaft (they used a design program used on Formula 1 and Indy race cars).
• Milennium cylinders (naturally) with their superior (no pun intended) volumetric efficiency
• Better breathing (a function of several of the above and other improvements).

Superior History

Superior  Air Parts started in 1967 making a valve guide for engines that were out of production. From that lowly valve guide the product line expanded to 2,000 PMA approved parts by the mid-1990s. Their best known parts are probably their Millennium cylinders. But across the line they have tried to bring the latest manufacturing, materials and design technology to bear on each part they make.

The mid-90s were a watershed period for the company, and its executives decided to make a bold change in direction. They started selling remanufactured engines to the market. And they also made a decision to make their own engines. The first fruit of this was the popular XP-360, a 180 HP engine for experimentals. The latest is the Vantage 360.

What Next?

The next step, logically, is a production certificate for the engine (otherwise, each individual engine would need to be inspected for conformity). That's expected by the end of this year. Next, STCs for installing the Vantage motor in Skyhawks and Cherokees; Superior hopes to have these in hand by early 2005. When these mainstream STCs are in hand, Superior will pursue further STCs (Mooney 201, for instance). Superior will develop some STCs themselves in-house, and for some, especially for low-density types, they will work with the type experts.

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With the type certificate fresh in hand, Superior is pursuing OEM relationships. They're not prepared to say to whom they're speaking yet, but this news has to cause a degree of nervousness in existing engine manufacturers -- spelled Lycoming. Indeed, Superior has already hinted that an OEM agreement will be announced "soon."

The engine itself will also continue to be the beneficiary of ongoing product improvement. For one example, company insiders said they were experimenting with a FADEC, but stressed that it is quite a distance from production at this time, and buyers who need an engine now or soon would be ill-advised to wait for it.

Summing Up….

The Superior Vantage 360 has excellent prospects, and a major manufacturer standing behind it. The mere existence of the Vantage benefits every engine buyer, whether he winds up with this product or a competitor's engine, because competition will drive improvement across the whole market.  Superior is to be congratulated on their first engine Type Certificate. We are confident it won't be their last.

FMI: www.vantage-engine.com/