A recreational two-seat light sport amphibious seaplane called the Vickers Wave from Vickers Aircraft Co. in New Zealand will use the Titan IO-340-CC 180-horsepower engine, the company announced. It is made by Titan Engines, now a part of Continental Motors, at San Antonio and is aimed at the ASTM-approved light sport market. The aircraft will be a challenger to the Icon A5, which is in delivery after seven years of development.
“We’re excited,” said a Titan official. The selection is especially sweet to Titan given that Vickers had planned to use the Lycoming IO-360 in previous announcements dating to 2013.
“Many U.S.- and European-based vendors were trying to convince us that their ‘off the shelf’ product was suitable for the Wave. But we wanted a modern engine for our modern aircraft, not an engine that has gone unchanged since 1960,” said company founder Paul Vickers.
The plan is to sell the aircraft for less than $180,000, the company said in 2013.
“The weight characteristics of the Titan IO-340CC were another factor that drove our decision,” Vickers said. “The weight savings on this engine are enough to allow us to comply with the LSA ASTM standards without compromising reliability or safety.”
The Wave promises a maximum useful load of 500 pounds and can carry 50 gallons of gas, either auto gas or aviation fuel. It is claimed to have a speed of 120 knots, the maximum speed allowed in the light sport aircraft category. It has a 30-foot wingspan, but the wings fold automatically for storage.
The Titan engine weighs 245 pounds. The Lycoming IO-360 engine previously announced by Vickers in 2013 as the engine of choice weighs 270 pounds. At that time, Vickers had told AVweb that he hoped to begin deliveries in mid-2014. The aircraft has been in development since 2010.
Continental’s Johnny Doo said the engine easily integrates with engine instruments on the Dynon Skyview 10-inch cockpit displays that will be used by the Wave.
Alton K. Marsh
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