D-Motor LF26 explained

The D-Motor LF26 is a lightweight liquid cooled side-valve four-stroke flat four, 2.7 litre petrol aircraft engine, produced by D-Motor in Deerlijk, Belgium.^[1]

Design and development

This direct-drive aero-engine is unusual in two respects: it is very oversquare with a bore:stroke ratio of 1.295:1, and it has a side-valve (flathead) valvetrain. The designer determined that since maximum continuous power output (65.3 kW^[2]) was to be developed at only 2800 rpm, the extra weight and complexity of overhead valves (OHV) would be superfluous. The resulting engine is compact and lightweight, with a dry weight of 580NaN0,^[2] and a maximum power-to-weight ratio of 1.09 kW/kg (wet; coolant fluids weigh 50NaN0^[2]). The engine has port injection, a dry sump lubrication system, and dual ignition.

Variants

With the aid of funding from the Belgian government,^[3] D-Motor has developed a derivative 4-litre flat-six engine, the D-Motor LF39, which is claimed to produce 1250NaN0 and to have dry weight of 780NaN0.^[4]

Applications

• BOT SC07 Speed Cruiser
• Foxcon Terrier 200
• Niki Lightning
• Peak Aerospace Me 109R
• Raj Hamsa X-Air^[5]
• Slepcev Storch
• Sherwood Ranger

Specifications

Reference: D-Motor^[2]

Notes and References

1. AOPA Pilot. Belgium firm offers Light Sport engine. 40. March 2015.
2. Web site: LF26 specifications . D-motor . 16 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190716111754/https://www.d-motor.eu/lf-26. 16 July 2019.
3. Web site: Kapelstraat 198 8540 Deerlijk - News . D-motor1.vpweb.be . 2012-05-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120328094526/http://d-motor1.vpweb.be/News.html . 2012-03-28 .
4. Web site: D-motor dmotor LF39 specifications. www.d-motor.eu. 2016-08-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20160901045801/http://www.d-motor.eu/nl/specifications-64.htm. 2016-09-01. dead.
5. Web site: X-air test plane. 2 August 2011. D-Motor. n.d.. https://web.archive.org/web/20101217063124/http://d-motor1.vpweb.be/X-air-test-plane.html. 17 December 2010. dead.