(07-11-2026, 12:44 PM)Sam Oliver Wrote: Welcome aboard Shane. Good luck with your build. What engine are you putting in?
I opted for a standard Rotax 914UL. This isn’t the A600’s original engine (which was designed for the RI 600N), but several builders have converted their aircraft to use this engine, and I chose this option because of its proven reliability and the availability of parts.
Rotax’s support network in Europe is a real plus (particularly with Heckes Flugzeugtechnik in Germany and the network of authorized service centers), which was a key factor in my decision to build the plane in Ireland.
With 115 ch at takeoff (100 ch continuous), it should be suitable for reasonable use of the A600, although I remain aware that the integration and performance will depend heavily on the quality of the installation and the aircraft’s final weight.
(07-11-2026, 02:47 PM)Orv Neisingh Wrote: Hi Shane, welcome to the community. Have you checked out all of the helpful info on the website at the top of the page under the green button yet? It has loads of info there. You mentioned the Rotax 914, does it have adequate hp at 4250 rpm and can it be mounted vertically? If so it will be very interesting to see how it performs for you.
Thanks for the welcome, and yes, I’ve gone over Orv’s tips (the green button) in detail. A real goldmine, especially the sections on aligning the carriage slides and making the sliders. Orv clearly knows more about these machines than most of us will ever learn.
As for the engine, the 914UL does indeed run at high RPM: 115 ch at 5,800 rpm (5-minute limit) and 100 ch continuously at 5,500 rpm. At 4,250 rpm, the available power would be significantly lower according to the engine curve, which would likely be insufficient for a helicopter, particularly during hover flight where continuous power is critical.
For vertical mounting, the 914 is a boxer engine designed for horizontal installation. The float-type carburetors, lubrication, and cooling systems are all optimized for this orientation. A vertical installation would require extensive modifications and clearly goes beyond the scope of standard use.
As for my choice, I am aware that the A600’s original engine is the Rotorway RI 600N. My intention is to use a Rotax 914UL in a configuration that has been proven by other manufacturers, mounted horizontally with an integration tailored to the airframe. The goal is to stay as close as possible to a proven design in terms of center of gravity and powertrain, in order to minimize the risks associated with an overly experimental configuration.
Thank you for these questions; this is exactly the kind of discussion I was hoping to find here.
