WAM has its origins in 1994, embarking on the blank sheet design of an all new 2 Cylinder, 2 stroke diesel prototype with the aid of a government SMART grant.
By 1997 the first flight of a prototype form of the engine had taken place, resulting in several awards including the DT Millennium Product Award in April 1999. Also in 1999, the three cylinder WAM 120 engine was unveiled to the public, with the first flight in a Europa aircraft following on the last day of December.
Changing market conditions for light aircraft have led to the clear need for a range of engines that burn the same fuel as jet aircraft. Most light aircraft have old technology engines that must currently use leaded gasoline, Avgas, an increasingly expensive and outmoded minority fuel, unattractive for oil companies to produce in the long run. A piston engine using jet fuel typically reduces light aircraft operating cost by around 30% in most countries, except the US where leaded gasoline is presently positioned at a similar price point to jet fuel.
4-cylinder, 2-stroke, low noise, clean burn, compression ignition, liquid cooled engines of inverted configuration with pressure fed lubrication and integral sump; forced induction by turbocharger compressor to an intercooler...
3 cylinder, 2-stroke, low noise, clean burn, compression ignition, liquid cooled engines of inverted configuration with pressure fed lubrication and integral sump; forced induction by turbocharger compressor to an intercooler...