The Wankel

Wow a Wankel! Yep it is a working rotary R/C engine produced by OS. This engine was bought second hand used. It is truly an interesting piece of engineering whether R/C or full size. This particular model is a .30 but puts out as much power as a .46 2 stroke.
So you ask if this Wankel is a two stroke or a four stroke? Well it is neither, it is rotary, it's a Wankel! It is its own class of engine and has a semi triangular cylinder that rotates around its axis. This engine is begging to be put on a plane and truly wants to be up in the sky. There are a few things about Wankel engines you should know.
These engines normally use smaller propellers than their two or four stroke counter parts. The Wankel will run extremely rich in mixture and therefore is a gas hog. Also since it runs rich it does make quite a mess and will run at much higher RPM than your normal two stroke. The engine mount is a small triangular piece of metal that uses three screws to mount and goes directly on the firewall. Therefore the back of the engine is mounted almost directly on the firewall and does reduce the clearance of hoses or anything else you may have thought of behind the engine.
Rotary engines do run with much less vibration and that is a major upside to this sweet little gas guzzler. It will run very smoothly, make a unique growl at the field, and provide great power to weight ratio that will get you up and move you fast!
All in all I love this little engine. I am looking forward some day to finding the correct pairing for it, maybe a .40 size stick, or a WWI bipe? We will see what the future holds for our Wankel.