I WAS a big fan of the Zoche Aerodiesel, but it seems it is just another "Moller-Skycar"!!
Eating up government funding but producing nothing in the long run!
He comes to Oshkosh every year and the same old engine gets rustier every time!
He produces essentially the same engine for stationary compressors, fire pumps, etc.
However the Aerodiesel seems to have a problem with reaching the projected TBO (2000 hrs). It is a lighter version of the stationary diesels, AFAIU.
This is going on for some 15 years at least.
Mistral is on it since less than 3 years and are certifying their first one this year!!
There are plenty of exciting engines out there, but if they never make it out of "Dreamland" into reality AND have a marketing and production effort behind it.
Dynacam was a good engine concept, but never got the marketing or production effort.
Same with the Quasi-turbine....
http://www.quasiturbine.com/
I am afraid the MYT
http://www.angellabsllc.com/index.html
is in the vapor ware catagory, at least with the power claims he is making.
Then there are:
Pivotal Engine,
http://www.pivotalengine.com/index.html
Rad-Cam Engine,
http://www.rad-cam.com/
Rand-Cam Engine,
http://www.regtech.com/
Split Cycle Engine,
http://web.archive.org/web/200012160...com.au/eng.htm
All interesting concepts, ...I am afraid that's where they will get stuck, ....unfortunately.
Non of them has A real new advantage over existing engines. Plenty of claims but none that come through so far in production - plenty of problems though to get into production!!
That's why I bet that Mistral is going to make it!
You need to read up on the history of Mistral and how it came to be.
Basically Mazda did most of the basic R&D over decades of spending millions on their road engines, which today are some of the toughest machinery you can buy.
Mistral started right there to get it fine"R&D"'d for aviation - never mind a huge task by itself.
However the Rotary is the only engine you can take from the car to the airframe without having to change the layout of the basic components - like you have to do in a piston engine, or it will die in about 300-400 hrs (piston engines....).
Thielert being the exception and even he has to do everything new except the block ( ...and maybe the head, I wouldn't know OTBOMH)
If you want to know about the sturdyness of the Rotary, start to roam the Rotary racing sites/forums.
There is no piston engine ( same size, cumulative combustion chamber volume) out there that takes as much abuse with as little maintenance/overhauls.
3top,
PS: Just for the curious:
This baby is never going to fly, but it is biiiiiiiiig!!
http://www.bath.ac.uk/~ccsshb/12cyl/