ATI to Add Understanding of Rotax Engines?

bydanjohnson

Tuesday, May 30, 2006 at 03:14 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Rotax 912 engines, common in Light Sport Aircraft (LSA), have a negative reputation among U.S. general aviation mechanics.
This perception originated from a past lack of proper Rotax maintenance training for American mechanics, particularly with early Diamond Katana aircraft, leading to perceived reliability issues.
To address this, the Aero Technical Institute (ATI) has been formed by Dean Vogel and Phil Lockwood to offer specialized training sessions for A&P mechanics on Rotax powerplants.
ATI's educational initiative aims to improve Rotax's standing within the general aviation community and encourage broader adoption of LSA and Sport Pilot training.

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The ubiquitous Rotax 912 or 912S powers the majority of LSA (Jabiru and Continental have smaller slices of the market). But many general aviation mechanics and flight school operators have given the powerplant a bad rap. With education they may come to love the efficient engine as do many sport pilots.

As I’ve traveled for EAA approaching major flight schools to interest them in pursuing Sport Pilot training and using LSA, I’ve often heard one retort. These large general aviation schools — using Cessna, Piper, Diamond — say, “We’ve gotten poor reports about Rotax.” The problem appears to stem from Diamond’s original Katana powered by a 912 Rotax. While European A&P mechanics knew the engine, American maintenance people did not. Diamond didn’t fully train mechanics so they handled the engine incorrectly. Eventually, engine reliability suffered. Now, one of the country’s top sellers of Rotax engines aims to change that unfortunate perception through education. Former Cirrus executive, Dean Vogel, has teamed up with Phil Lockwood to form the Aero Technical Institute (ATI). They’ll start May 25-26 offering training sessions on Rotax powerplants. Courses will be at Lockwood‘s sprawling operation at the Sebring airport and perhaps ATI will travel to A&Ps later. As the GA community learns more about Rotax maintenance, I hope their attitude will change. Hopefully it’ll be ATI to the rescue!