Rotax 916 iS

The Rotax 916 iS is an Austrian piston aircraft engine, designed and produced by Rotax of Gunskirchen for use in light aircraft, light sport, ultralight, homebuilt aircraft and Unmanned aerial vehicle.

The engine was publicly introduced in March 2023 and first used in the CubCrafters Carbon Cub UL.

Design and development

The engine is a turbocharged four-cylinder, four-stroke, horizontally-opposed, 1,352 cc (82.5 cu in) displacement, gasoline engine design, with a mechanical gearbox reduction drive with a reduction ratio of 2.54:1. It employs dual electronic ignition and produces 160 hp (119 kW) at 5800 rpm for takeoff and 137 hp (102 kW) at 5500 rpm continuous operation, with a maximum operating altitude of 23,000 ft (7,010 m).

It has electronic fuel injection; air cooling, with liquid-cooled cylinder heads; a stainless steel exhaust system; a dry sump, forced lubrication system with a separate oil tank; FADEC control and a 12 volt or 24 volt electric starter.

The initial time between overhaul is 2,000 hours.

Operational history

The Rotax 916 iS was chosen to power the CubCrafters Carbon Cub UL due to the engine's light weight and ability to burn unleaded automotive gasoline, to facilitate exports to areas of the globe where avgas is not available, such as South America and Africa.

Cub Crafters said of the engine that the "key to the development of the new aircraft is CubCrafters’ collaboration with BRP-Rotax, which is launching their new 160 HP turbocharged engine on the Carbon Cub UL. The new 916 iS engine is lighter, more fuel efficient, and can produce more power than the normally aspirated CC340 engine on the Carbon Cub SS in higher density altitude scenarios."

Applications

CubCrafters Carbon Cub UL
Zlin Aviation Norden UL and LSA
Elbit Hermes 900
TL Sport Sparker
Sling (TSi, HW)
SW-51 MUSTANG
VL3
Bristell 916RG Turbo

Specifications (916 iS)

Data from Manufacturer

General characteristics

Type: Four cylinder, four stroke aircraft engine
Bore: 84.0 mm (3.3 in)
Stroke: 61.0 mm (2.4 in)
Displacement: 1,352 cc (82.5 cu in)
Dry weight: 85.8 kg (189.2 lb), including propeller speed reduction gearbox with overload clutch, turbocharger, intercooler and exhaust system

Components

Turbocharger: intercooled
Fuel system: electronic fuel injection
Fuel type: gasoline minimum MON 85, RON 95, AKI 91, leaded or unleaded, avgas 100LL, maximum ethanol 10%
Oil system: dry sump, forced lubrication with separate oil tank
Cooling system: air cooled with liquid cooled cylinder heads
Reduction gear: mechanical gearbox, 2.54:1 ratio