Sunfish, I fully understand the principle of duty cycle, as I was deeply involved with heavy-duty engines for the best part of my working life. I was not inferring that automotive engines can be instantly and quickly transferred to aircraft use.
I am fully aware of the major differences in duty cycle and reliability requirements between automotive engines and aircraft engines.
What I am getting at is that old-established aircraft engine manufacturers have a vested interest in keeping archaic production lines and design principles in permanent use, as they have amortised the cost of those production facilities and designs long ago, and they are a permanent cash cow for them.
Corporate America, in particular, is permanently intent on promoting shareholder and corporate wealth, over any progress in efficiency or cost reduction to the end-users of their products.
There is no reason why the engineering advances in automotive engines cannot be engineered into aircraft engines, along with numerous other sound and progressive ideas such as rotary or sleeve valves, using current high technology.
For Gods sake man, engines are still using poppet valves, the shortest life, worst and weakest part of any IC engine design, and it's the same valve design as used in the 1890's!!
If ULPower engines can produce a modernised Lyco, utilising a number of automotive technologies, then it shows what can be done.