new flat head light aircraft engine

It's tricky to get videos of this engine running on their website, but worth while to see and hear. Try just googling "aircraft d-motor". Notice the short take-off roll and climb out angle in an LSA.
 
On one of the videos, they mentioned a TBO of 1500 hr. and expected 2000 once it was further tested, but suggested that the jug and valve material would last indefinitely. There are videos out there, but you may have to figure out how to get them. They also said it used 2.5 GPH at a cruise of 120 mph in an LSA (two-place 1320#). The prop is direct drive and cruises at around 3000 rpm.
 
The big downfall of this engine is that it runs on avgas. Avgas is on the way out, at least here in Australia, and it becomes more and more expensive to fill up. One of the local aero engine shops here is developing a 4cyl diesel. It is a flat 4, and 2 pistons go toward each other so there is no head, and the combustion chamber is the space between the pistons at TDC. It is a 2 stroke, so there are few moving parts.
 
Well, avgas is expensive, thats for sure. 80 disappeared from this area long ago. 100LL is about to become extinct also, replaced by a lower octane no lead. A lot of fellas do run their aero engines on mogas, but, I won't.
 
The flat engine has been around a long time. Karl Benz designed it in the 1890s and they are still going strong. I've had many over the years in both air and water cooled versions from Continental, Lycoming, Franklin, Onan, Porsche, Honda. I'm running a flat 6 in a motorcycle with a carburetor for each sparkler..
 
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