HAMILTON STANDARD and Toyota are studying potential applications for a jointly developed piston aero-engine. The FV2400-2TC is a 4litre, twin-turbocharged Vee-8 based, on Toyota's Lexus car engine and equipped with a Hamilton Standard full-authority digital engine-control (FADEC).
Hamilton Standard received US Federal Aviation Administration type certification for the engine in February and is hoping for production certification by the end of the year. This will involve qualification of Toyota and its suppliers, says Vincent Misciagna, director of general-aviation business, at the US company.
Plans call for Toyota to deliver engines to Hamilton Standard, for installation of the FADEC, test and delivery. Misciagna says that the company's "primary interest" is in persuading an aircraft manufacturer to adopt the new engine, which produces up to 270kW (360hp) and is marketed directly against established Teledyne Continental and Textron Lycoming engines.
Certification flight-testing of the FV2400 was accomplished using a twin-engined Cessna 340, the liquid-cooled engine replacing the right-hand Continental. The engine was flown for 35h, Misciagna says. The dual-channel FADEC provides single-lever control of throttle, propeller RPM and fuel-air mixture. Other features include electronic fuel injection and ignition. Operation on automotive fuel is possible.
"Exhaustive" market studies are under way, but Misciagna cautions that it is "not a foregone conclusion" that the team will proceed into production of the engine.
Source: Flight International
