Porche Engine , in Helicopter?

[Vfrpilotpb]

Damon Hill testing the new really fast and powerful Porche 911 in the Sunday Times todays issue, has in the drivel that is written about the car stated that "porche engines are really smooth, and they fit them in Helicopters for that reason", can anyone enlighten me, or is he inferring that the horizontal opposed layout in some piston helis is the same as the Porche car engine design?:confused:

[PPRUNE FAN#1]

Vfrpilotpb wrote:Damon Hill testing the new really fast and powerful Porche 911 in the Sunday Times todays issue, has in the drivel that is written about the car stated that "porche engines are really smooth, and they fit them in Helicopters for that reason", can anyone enlighten me, or is he inferring that the horizontal opposed layout in some piston helis is the same as the Porche car engine design?Someone has their facts a little b*lloxed-up. As smooth as they may be, Porsche engines are not used in any production helicopter for any reason. The Mazda/Wankel rotary is smoother yet, but neither is it used in any production helicopter.

By contrast, six-cylinder Lycomings and Continentals are wonderfully smooth, robust, dependable devices even though they are "old technology," pushrod-type engines. However, awhile back Mooney teamed with Porsche and offered a version of the 911-type engine in the evergreen M-20 series fixed-wing. This adaptation was not successful. To buyers, the gains over a "standard" aircraft were evidently not compelling enough, and sales were dismal. The option is no longer available.

Nonetheless, I'd love to see them fit a Porsche engine in my helicopter! Perhaps if I took the back seats out they could fit it behind me, whereupon I could transport it home and install it in Mrs. PPRUNEFAN's "old" Beetle. I'd think it should bolt right in, eh?

[Jcooper]

Porshe is part of VW, and VWs engine is very similar to the lycoming 360 in the R22. So maybe this is what he was trying to get at. I don't know just my two cents worth.

Also the wankel may be a smooth engine but ever since the concept has been put to the test they have always had seal problems and they leak oil after comparably very short times.

[Genghis the Engineer]

I've never heard of one in a rotary type, but there are Porsche derived engines in some motorgliders and airships.

I've no experience of the airship, but worked on the certification of a motorglider with a Porsche engine - which was gutless, noisy and unreliable.

G

[Lefthanddown]

JCooper

I think Porsche would be very surprised to learn that they are part of the VW group...

Regards

LHD

[Vfrpilotpb]

I feel the person who wrote this article(with Damon Hill taking the credit) has possibly written with a sort of Gilliganesque type of mind and I think they may be inferring to the same sort of Boxer type cylinder layout, but it is not made that clear!:=

[Jcooper]

lefthanddown- youre right, that was worded in correctly. Porsche shares many aspects and technologies with VW. Historically, Ferdinand Porsche created the VW Beetle and separated later to make his own (sports) cars. His connection with VW continued and they constantly are sharing each others technologies and often VW uses downgraded porsche parts. Talk to a mechanic...my apologies.