Air Tech Ultralight and Sport Planes Show Up With Something New
Walking by the AT Air Tech Quicksilver on display in the Paradise City area of Sun and Fun you wouldn't know that something interesting and new was going on powerplant-wise if you casually walked by. A more discerning eye might notice something is different, that's not the typical UL power plant and different it is.
The Aero 1000 Engine on the Quicksilver is a water-cooled 250cc 4 stroke single cylinder engine with electronic fuel injection (EFI). Currently rated for 500 hours TBO, and it employs a 3.98 ratio belt reduction drive (with a clutch) to deliver its 39hp at 9200 rpm, which allows it to swing large-diameter propellers.
It is designed to be a bolt-on replacement for the ubiquitous 2 strokes that dominate this sector, Kenneth explains,
"We've been working in collaboration with a powered parachute company that's been using these four-stroke engines for quite a while now, actually. A lot of their clientele are interested in getting into fixed-wing and having an engine package that they can swap between both, it's a really unique thing. We have a lot of our clients, even some of the older guys that are looking to get out of the two-stroke world and have been for a while. We now have a package that they can use to swap out the two-stroke engine for four-stroke engine."
Coming in at approximately 80 lbs., (with a muffler system) this engine has to potential to replace the aforementioned 2 strokes given its compatibility in terms of weight with the added benefit of a fuel burn of 1.2 gallons per hour. I asked Keith about its noise signature compared to the 2 strokes and he said, "It's much, much, less, we have a muffler on this engine instead of just a tune exhaust system, so that cuts down on the noise substantially. The maintenance on these engines is very little. The main thing we are having to do is change the oil, every 10 to 15 hours. It has an oil screen, like what a lot of the old Continentals used to but there is no actual oil filter, so changing of the oil is one of the essential components to keeping this engine running properly"
In terms of price Kenneth noted; "We don't have a hard number just yet, but we are doing everything we can to try and keep that price point below $9000."
FMI: www.airtechninc.com
