[Jared Hartzell]

I don't like the idea, but this is definitely a Joe Huff question. I'll see if I can get him to respond here. Putting all wear/tear theories aside, a big difference is the lack of torque. In our helicopters if you get behind to power curve there can be situations where there is not enough torque to bring the rpm back up with throttle alone. At sea level, it's not really an issue but when you're heavy, flying in high DA, it's very noticeable compared to the low-rpm powerhouse of a Lycoming.

Now as far as wear/tear goes, the rotorway engine is considered damaged if operated above 5,000 rpm as-is. There are likely many engineering-related modifications required to make the engine safe to operate at that high of an rpm (like different valve springs to prevent float). At which point, it may be better to spend that money on a Lycoming and figuring out the rest, since you'd have to change drivetrain ratios anyhow.