Mistral Engine Company
MISTRAL Engines SA is a Swiss company which was founded in 2001 with the objective to develop a family of rotary piston engines for the aviation sector. Mistral was founded in his own words by a group of pilots and aircraft operators in order to develop a modern engine for general aviation.
It was set to rotary piston engines, as these against the hitherto dominant piston engines offer a number of benefits for the aviation application:
- High reliability and long life due to a significantly lower number of mechanical components
- Compactness
- Power-to- weight
- Very smooth running and vibration-free
Due to the international financial crisis, the development work was interrupted in 2010 and 2011 resumed after a new investor is entered at Mistral.
Products
Currently Mistral offers its engine in 4 different power levels:
- G -200, 148 kW ( 2 slices )
- G -230 -TS, 172 kW ( 2 slices )
- G -300, 224 kW ( 3 discs )
- G-360 -TS, 269 kW ( 3 discs )
All versions give their maximum performance from at each 2150/min and can be operated with AvGas as well as with conventional unleaded automotive gasoline. Other options for the further development of the fitting of turbochargers and the development of [ kerosene ] - powered variants, this should remain the two best performers variants initially reserved.
Testing
First test flights took place with a converted Piper PA-28 instead, it was still equipped with a 190 hp engine and payable for 2008 was lost during the flight testing in an accident, the test pilot suffered only minor injuries. As a test platform a Maule MX -7 can be used be paid with the 300 hp ( 224 kW ) G -300 engine and a Glasair III Kitflugzeug.
Currently operates Mistral certification of the 224 kW payable G -300 - C2B and the self-developed FADEC system at the FAA, EASA, a certification is to follow. It is planned to achieve these certifications for all 4 engines with a TBO of 3000 hours. Piston engines of the established manufacturers such as Lycoming and Teledyne Continental typically reach a maximum TBO of 2000 hours.
Use
With the necessary power margin both helicopters and one - and two-engine airplanes may be. The version G -200 is used in the prototype of the " flying cars " PAL - V, further, the French kit helicopter Helineo will in future be available with a G-200 engine.