Show Report 1998 - 4-Stroke Trikes
Medway's Jabiru installation Medway have taken the Rotax 912 on head to head with the Jabiru. The Jab is a true aeroengine, certified for aircraft use in Australia. It is 4-cylinder, air cooled, develops 80HP and operates at a sensible rpm, peak power being developed at only 3,300 rpm. This has allowed direct drive to the prop - no gearbox problems. Medway have fitted an in-flight pitch adjustable prop, which promises superb fuel economy (8l/hr) and quiet operation. The installation is extremely neat, with the ram air ducts for the cooling being sensibly placed to ensure no airflow obstruction.
Pegasus's HKS on a Quantum Pegasus were showing the Japanese HKS 700E 2 cylinder 4-stroke, an oil-cooled design generating 60bhp at 6,200 rpm and promising 8lph on unleaded fuel at 4,750 rpm. Obviously, at this sort of RPM this is not a direct drive design, and two different reductions are offered. The installation is very tidy and the price is substantially less than that of the Jabiru - but it is a higher revving engine, uses a gearbox, and develops substantially less power. I know which one I want - but which one can I afford? One thing is for certain, the Rotax monopoly is gone for good.
Mainair had a Blade 912 on display as their 4-stroke offering, with a very nice powder coated exhaust. (Lucky they had anything to show really as their factory burnt down just days before the show). Although the 912 has come in for a lot of stick regarding cost, overheating problems and other matters, it is still the engine used by Colin Bodill, Brian Milton et al. Skydrive were offering a special price on the 912 at the show, and their bumf claimed "There is no real alternative", a claim that I think will prove to be hollow. I fully expect to see Jabiru-powered superhero adventurers flying off into the sunset in the near future.
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