The Continental O-240 engine is a four-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled aircraft engine that was developed in the late 1960s for use in

light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a Maximum Takeoff Weight, maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are use ...

by Continental Motors, Inc. The first O-240 was certified on 7 July 1971.

Design and development

The O-240 was a new engine design derived from the six-cylinder Continental O-360 and introduced in 1971. It is generally similar in overall dimensions to the

Continental O-200 The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 in3 (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''Federal Aviation Admini ...

, but with a higher 8.5:1 compression ratio, designed to run on 100/130

avgas Avgas (aviation gasoline, also known as aviation spirit in the United Kingdom, UK) is an aviation fuel used in aircraft with spark-ignited internal combustion engines. ''Avgas'' is distinguished from conventional gasoline (petrol) used in moto ...

. The O-240 delivers 30% more power than the O-200 while it weighs only 12% more. It may be mounted in

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...

pusher configuration In aeronautical and naval engineering, pusher configuration is the term used to describe a drivetrain of air- or watercraft with propulsion device(s) after the engine(s). This is in contrast to the more conventional tractor configuration, wh ...

.Christy, Joe: ''Engines for Homebuilt Aircraft & Ultralights'', pages 58-59. TAB Books, 1983. The O-240 was produced under license in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Rolls-Royce Limited Rolls-Royce Limited was a British luxury car and later an aero-engine manufacturing business established in 1904 in Manchester by the partnership of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Building on Royce's good reputation established with his Crane ( ...

and was used to power the Reims-Cessna FRA150 Aerobat, a more powerful aerobatic model of the

Cessna 150 The Cessna 150 is a two-seat tricycle gear general aviation airplane that was designed for flight training, touring and personal use.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', pages 22-23. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. In 19 ...

constructed in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Reims Aviation Reims Aviation Industries was a French aircraft manufacturer located in the city of Reims, most recently producing the F406 Caravan II. Reims Aviation was a wholly owned subsidiary of GECI Aviation. History Max Holste, the company founder, ...

under license.Gunston 1989, p.42. Rolls-Royce acquired the rights to the O-240, but not the IO-240 in 1977. The

fuel-injected Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in Reciprocating engine, reciprocating piston and Wankel eng ...

IO-240-A and -B were introduced in 1993. The A and B versions differ only in the type of fuel injector used. The IOF-240 is similar to the IO-240-B except that it employs an Aerosance

FADEC A full authority digital engine (or electronics) control (FADEC) is a system consisting of a digital computer, called an "electronic engine controller" (EEC) or " engine control unit" (ECU), and its related accessories that control all aspects of a ...

system to control the ignition and fuel injection systems. The engine was not selected to power any production North American-manufactured aircraft until the Liberty XL2 entered production in 2006 powered by the IOF-240-B.

Variants

;O-240-A :Dual ignition, at 2800 rpm, dry weight including starter and generator. Uses a Marvel-Schebler MA-3SPA IO 5067 carburetor. Certified 7 July 1971 ;IO-240-A :Dual ignition, at 2800 rpm, dry weight , uses a TCM 639231A27 fuel injector ;IO-240-B :Dual ignition, at 2800 rpm, dry weight , uses a TCM 639231A34 fuel injector ;IOF-240-B :Aerosance

system controls the ignition and fuel injection systems, at 2800 rpm, dry weight

Applications

;O-240 * AESL Airtourer T3 * Reims Cessna FRA150 Aerobat ("R" meaning a Rolls-Royce-built O-240) *

Rutan Voyager The Rutan Model 76 Voyager was the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. It was piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager. The flight took off from Edwards Air Force Base's 15,000 foot (4,600 m) runway in the Moja ...

(front engine) * Practavia Sprite * Rollason Condor (D62C) * St Croix Pietenpol Aerial * Tri-R KIS TR-1 * Warner Revolution II ;IO-240 * American Homebuilts John Doe * Diamond DA20-C1 * Eagle Aircraft 150B * Rans S-16 Shekari *

Roko Aero NG4 The Roko Aero NG4 is a single-engined sport aircraft, available in both light-sport aircraft and ultralight models, which seats two side by side. It is in production in the Czech Republic. Design and development Jiří Konečný designed the CZ ...

;IOF-240-B * Issoire APM 40 Simba * Liberty XL2

Specifications (IOF-240-B)

References

Notes

Bibliography

*Gunston, Bill. ''World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines''. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. {{Continental aeroengines 1970s aircraft piston engines Boxer engines O-240