The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive

aircraft engine An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Aircraft using power components are referred to as powered flight. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbin ...

s of 201 in³ (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

Type certificate data sheet no. E-252
.'' Revision 34. (27 June 2013) Built by Continental Motors these engines are used in many light aircraft designs of the United States, including the early Piper PA-18 Super Cub,''Aircraft specification no. 1A2.'' Revision 37. (Sep. 4, 1996.) Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. the Champion 7EC,''Aircraft specification no. A-759.'' Revision 67. (Jun. 3, 2005.) Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. the Alon Aircoupe,''Type certificate date sheet no. A-787.'' Revision 33. (Jul. 14, 2005.) Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. and 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 ...

.''Type certificate data sheet no. 3A19.'' Revision 44. (Mar. 31, 2003) Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Though the C90 was superseded by the O-200, and many of the designs utilizing the O-200 had gone out of production by 1980, with the 2004 publication of the United States Federal Aviation Administration

light-sport aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictions on weigh ...

regulations''Federal Register.'' Vol. 69, No. 143 (Jul. 27, 2004), pp. 44772-44882. Federal Aviation Administration, 14 CFR Parts 1, 21, et al., "Certification of aircraft and airmen for the operation of light-sport aircraft;" Final rule. came a resurgence in demand for the O-200.

Design and development

The C90 was introduced in 1947 as a follow-on to the A65, which had been in production since 1939. Many of the designs powered by the C90 are upgraded variants of earlier A65 powered designs, such as the

Piper J-3 Cub The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is Pi ...

and PA-11 Cub Special,''Aircraft specification no. A-691.'' Revision 32. (Oct. 1, 1997.) Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Aeronca 7AC, and

Luscombe 8 The Luscombe 8 is a series of high-wing, side-by-side-seating monoplanes with conventional landing gear, designed in 1937 and built by Luscombe Aircraft. Development The XT8E was developed in 1947 to compete for an U.S. Air Force contract, ...

A.''Aircraft specification no. A-694.'' Revision 23. (Jul. 8, 1993.) Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. The engine was developed from the earlier O-190 by increasing the stroke inch. This engine family is considered to be dependable, according to both industry publications and the FAA.''Special airworthiness information bulletin no. NE-03-45.'' (Jun. 27, 2003.) Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Aircraft Certification Service. In a cooperative venture,

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

produced these same designs in England, under separate certification, with model designations beginning RR, e.g. the Rolls-Royce RR C90-12FH is the equivalent of the Continental C90-12FH; the Rolls-Royce versions are "directly interchangeable with the equivalent models manufactured by Continental."''Type certificate data sheet no. E3IN.'' Revision 3. (Jan. 16, 1968) Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. The Rolls-Royce O-200-A powers the Beagle Pup Series 1,''Type certificate data sheet no. A22EU.'' Revision 3. (Jun. 19, 1979) Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. the Rollason Condor, the Bölkow Bo 208 C Junior,''List 4: Propeller-driven aeroplanes not exceeding 8618 kg MTOM (including self-launching powered sailplanes.'' (Jun. 15, 2006) Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (Federal Office of Civil Aviation). Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs. Germany. the Avions Robin DR 220, the Morane-Saulnier MS-880, plus the Victa Airtourer 100 and the Reims F150 (a version of the Cessna 150 license-built in France by Reims Aviation). All versions of the C90 and O-200 are

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

reciprocating engine A reciprocating engine, more often known as a piston engine, is a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common features of al ...

s and are all similar in size, displacement and weight. These engines are typically fitted with an updraft carburetor, though the C90-8FJ, -12FJ, and -14FJ are equipped with

fuel injection 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 piston and Wankel rotary engines. All c ...

systems. They utilize a redundant

ignition system Ignition systems are used by heat engines to initiate combustion by igniting the fuel-air mixture. In a spark ignition versions of the internal combustion engine (such as petrol engines), the ignition system creates a spark to ignite the fuel-ai ...

requiring no external power, driving two

magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...

s, each of which fires one

spark plug A spark plug (sometimes, in British English, a sparking plug, and, colloquially, a plug) is a device for delivering electric current from an ignition system to the combustion chamber of a spark-ignition engine to ignite the compressed fuel/air ...

per

cylinder A cylinder () has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infinite ...

. Each cylinder has one

intake An intake (also inlet) is an opening, structure or system through which a fluid is admitted to a space or machine as a consequence of a pressure differential between the outside and the inside. The pressure difference may be generated on the ins ...

valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or Slurry, slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically Pip ...

and one

exhaust Exhaust, exhaustive, or exhaustion may refer to: Law * Exhaustion of intellectual property rights, limits to intellectual property rights in patent and copyright law ** Exhaustion doctrine, in patent law ** Exhaustion doctrine under U.S. law, i ...

valve, pushrod-activated. Continental's recommended time between overhaul (TBO) for these engines is 1,800 hours of operation or 12 years in service, whichever is reached first. The standard certification for the C90 and O-200 specifies Avgas 80/87 as the minimum fuel grade. Both are eligible for operation on automobile gasoline on the basis of Supplemental Type Certificates. While the C90 is approved for takeoff power of 95 horsepower (71 kW) for five minutes, the designation is derived from its continuous power rating of 90 hp (67 kW). As noted above, certain models of the C90 replace the usual carburetor with a fuel injection system. In addition, there are models which provide for the installation of a controllable-pitch propeller and one, the C90-12FP, designed for a

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 ...

installation. While having slightly less horsepower than the O-200, many floatplane operators prefer the performance of the C90 over the O-200, due to its higher torque at lower rpm. This is primarily due to the C90's camshaft design. The C90 is also known by its military designation of O-205. The O-200 is an updated and upgraded version of the engine, achieving increased power of 100 hp (75 kW) as a result of higher maximum rpm. The standard and most common model of the engine is the O-200-A; the -B model is designed for a pusher installation, the -C model provides for the installation of a controllable-pitch propeller, and the -D model is a lower-weight version designed for light-sport aircraft.

Operational history

An engine designated the IOL-200, an O-200 variant modified with

and

liquid cooling Liquid cooling refers to cooling by means of the convection or circulation (fluid dynamics), circulation of a liquid. Examples of liquid cooling technologies include: * Cooling by convection or circulation of coolant, including water cooling * L ...

, powered the 1986 nonstop, non-refueled global circumnavigation flight of the Rutan Voyager. The 110-horsepower (82 kW) IOL-200, also referred to as the Voyager 200, was the rear engine and—unlike the forward engine, another modified engine, a Continental O-240 —ran throughout the entire nine-day flight save for a four-minute shutdown due to a fuel problem. Formula One racer Sharp Nemesis, designed and flown by Jon Sharp, was powered by a 'stock' O-200. Between 1991 and 1999, the aircraft won 45 of the 48 events in which it was entered, as well as winning three Louis Blèriot medals, four Pulitzer Trophies, and setting 16 speed records in its class. In one of those records, ''Nemesis'' was clocked at more than 290 mph (467 km/h). By contrast, the O-200 powered Legend Cub cruises at 95 mph (152.9 km/h).

Variants

Certified versions

C90

;C90-8F:Lacks provisions for generator and starter drives, continuous, for take-off. ;C90-8FJ: continuous, for take-off. ;C90-12F:Has provisions for generator and starter drives, continuous, for take-off. ;C90-12FH:Has provisions for generator and starter drives, continuous, for take-off. ;C90-12FJ:Has provisions for generator and starter drives, continuous, for take-off. ;C90-12FP:Has provisions for generator and starter drives, continuous, for take-off. ;C90-14F: continuous, for take-off. ;C90-14FH: continuous, for take-off. ;C90-14FJ: continuous, for take-off. ;C90-16F:Has vacuum pump drive provisions, continuous, for take-off.

O-200

;O-200-A:Model for

tractor configuration In aviation, a tractor configuration is a propeller-driven fixed-wing aircraft with its engine mounted with the propeller in front, so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air. This is the usual configuration; the pusher configuration ...

, continuous ;O-200-B:Model with special crankshaft and crankcase for

, continuous ;O-200-C:Model with provisions for a controllable pitch propeller, continuous ;O-200-D:Similar to the "A" model, but with weight reductions, continuous ;O-200-X:Similar to the "D" model except for engine dataplate identification, continuous

Non-certified versions

;O-200-AF: UL91 and UL94 95 hp alternate fuel engine. ;IOL-200/Voyager 200:The aft engine of the round the world flight Rutan Voyager

Applications

Specifications (O-200-A)

''Data from'' Engine specifications: O-200-A & B.

References

External links

Teledyne Continental Motors
{{US military piston aeroengines Boxer engines 1940s aircraft piston engines O-200