Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/434207
38 Vol.3 No.12 / December 2014 UNDER THE COWL THE ENGINE CHOICES AVAILABLE for the ultralight, light-sport, and experimental markets were, in the recent past, fairly limited, with the default industry standard Rotax 912 engine leading the way. That situation changed in the last several years with the introduction of several interesting engines designed solely for light aviation use, including the Jabiru, ULPower, and others, along with several auto conversion engines, such as the VW and Corvair, that gained increased popularity in the experimental market. Among those newcomers is the Belgian D -motor. The D -motor was first presented in Europe in 2010 as the four-cylinder LF26 engine with 80 hp. In 2013, D -motor followed that with the 125-hp, direct-drive LF39 engine. In 2013 the LF26 (the numbers behind the "LF" stand for en- gine displacement in liters) reached the final development stage and went into serial production at 92 hp. Now the Belgian manufacturer is working on production of a new, six-cylinder LF39 engine, which recently began test flights. Although D -motor's engines look pretty conventional, they have characteristics that can't be found in almost any other current engine. Despite the fact that the D -motor engines were designed in the last decade, some of their design features originated from the past. Side valves or the "flathead" design used in postwar times and an ECU electronic ignition don't seem to fit together at first glance. This unusual mix made me curious. And it's one of the main reasons why I decided to visit the D -motor plant in Deer- lijk, Belgium, and get the design features explained by one of the company owners, Alain Dejager. When I arrived in Deerlijk in the southwestern part of Belgium, I was looking for an aircraft engine manufac- turer, but at the address listed I found only a car body shop. Nevertheless, I rang the bell and Alain Dejager received me personally. Alain explained that this automotive business, M & M Cars, provides the financial base for the aviation engine development. Introducing the D-motor Belgian engine manufacturer throttles up BY MARINO BORIC Photography by Marino Boric The D-motor in the B.O.T. SC07 aircraft, imported into the U.S. by Renegade Aircraft, www.renegadelightsport.com.