what is the best aviation piston engine in common use?
Filed on Sunday, March 7th, 2010 under Aviation FAQ By aviator
Just curious as to what you guys think is the best engine bast on life of engine, cost of repairs, engines you would find on light aircraft such as cessna 150 172 182 pipers etc. Also what about it makes it the best in your eyes.
Thanks
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Tags: aviation, Best, Common, ENGINE, piston
March 7th, 2010 at 11:55 am
I really don’t know anything about the modern aviation engines.
However the classic of all time has to be the Rolls-Royce Merlin, used extensively in the second world war, to power amongst others the Spitfire and Hurricane fighters of the RAF, as well as the Lancaster bomber, which incidently my Dad flew in.
For a detailed description of the Rolls-Royce Merlin take a look at this most interesting web page :
http://www.spitfiresociety.demon.co.uk/engines.htm
March 7th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
I’m kind of partial to Continental engines, mainly just because I have flown behind more of them… As far as maintenance and reliability goes, I think it’s pretty much a toss-up between Continental and Lycoming.
March 7th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
I think that in terms of initial cost, overhaul costs, reliability and power to weight ratio….
gotta be the Lycoming 0-360 series
March 7th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Continental O-470-U
Most popular and least expensive parts. Tough engine, not many problems. Easy to work on. This engine is found on 1977-1980 Cessna 182′s
March 7th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
The Lycoming IO-360 series is a workhorse. It is reliable, relatively cheap, and relatively maintenance friendly.
March 7th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
I’ve always liked Lycomings because the numbers say it all. Higher tbo than comparable Continental engines. Leak down checks are always higher since Lycomings are tighter engines. They stand up to abuse (cold starts, shock cooling, high temps, high loads, long periods of inactivity) way better than other engines.
My favorite Lycomings in order are: 540, 320, 235, 360, 290. The 541s, H series 320s, and high cam 360s are junk though.
Continenals are okay (I spend most of my life flying behind a 520) but go through cylinders faster (even when using the lower Continental leak down standards) and they seem to crack cylinders and crankcases more. I have seen more con rods sticking out of jagged holes in the crankcase of Continentals than I care to.
My favorite Continentals in order are: 200 (and derivitaves), 470, 520, 300, 360. The 550s are junk.
Airmech is right about the 470-U. Those are pretty sweet, smooth running, simple engines. To bad all Continentals weren’t that way.