The Daiichi Kosho DK 472 is a Japanese aircraft engine that was developed by the

Daiichi Kosho Company is a Japanese electronics and aircraft manufacturer that was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Tokyo. As an electronics manufacturer the company specializes in karaoke equipment. History Between about 1992 and 2003 the company branched i ...

in the early 1990s for

powered paragliding Powered paragliding, also known as paramotoring or PPG, is a form of ultralight aviation where the pilot wears a back-pack motor (a paramotor) which provides enough thrust to take off using a paraglider. It can be launched in still air, and on ...

. The company had been previously noted for producing electronics, particularly

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music i ...

equipment.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page D-23. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Downey, Julia: ''2000 Trike and 'Chute Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 2, February 2000, pages 50-51. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851

Design and development

The DK 472 was a custom-designed engine that was part of the manufacturer's plan to build a mass-market

paramotor Paramotor is the generic name for the harness and propulsive portion of a powered paraglider ("PPG"). There are two basic types of paramotors: foot launch and wheel launch. Foot launch models consist of a frame with harness, fuel tank, engine, ...

. The DK 472 was supplanted by a single cylinder design and then, when the market never developed into the size envisioned by the company, all engine production was ceased in circa 2003. The DK 472 is a twin cylinder,

horizontally-opposed A flat engine is a piston engine where the cylinders are located on either side of a central crankshaft. Flat engines are also known as horizontally opposed engines, however this is distinct from the less common opposed-piston engine design, wh ...

, air-cooled,

two stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...

engine that produces . Early versions were direct drive using a small diameter propeller. Later versions used a belt reduction drive system and a larger propeller. Electric start was standard equipment.

Applications

Daiichi Kosho Beat The Daiichi Kosho Whisper is a Japanese paramotor that was designed and produced by the Daiichi Kosho Company for powered paragliding.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page D-23. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001 ...

Daiichi Kosho Whisper The Daiichi Kosho Whisper is a Japanese paramotor that was designed and produced by the Daiichi Kosho Company for powered paragliding.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page D-23. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001 ...

Specifications (DK 472)

References

{{Daiichi Kosho aircraft Air-cooled aircraft piston engines Daiichi Kosho aircraft engines Two-stroke aircraft piston engines