Robatoy wrote:

I was trying to be funny... 10 HP with all that weight won't get you
far, eh

Ahh!

No, but there have been diesels small enough to power r/c airplanes for
at least 15 years. They work really well in scale aircraft, as they
handle long exhaust extensions well, swing large props at a slower
speed, and have a more realistic sound.


Btw, I have been reading a bit on diesel aircraft engines. They seem
to have quite a following.

They had great promise, but Thielert, the biggest player, who based
theirs on a Mercedes turbo diesel, went BK. According to a podcast I
listened to a few weeks back, Thielert left far more orphans than I
would have guessed.

Since jet fuel is far more available worldwide than avgas, I thought it
was going to be big! I think the main reason for the lack of interest
in North America was the easy availability of avgas, and the
availability of a relatively easy 87 octane auto gas conversion for many
engines. Lots of guys who did the 87 conversion are now having problems
finding ethanol-free unleaded...