Limbach Flugmotoren (''Limbach Aero Engines'') is a German company that produces
aircraft engine
An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbines, although a few have been rocket powered and in recent years many ...
s.
History
The company is named after
Peter Limbach who expanded his father's engine repair business in the 1970s in
Königswinter
Königswinter ( ksh, Köningkswinte; Low Franconian: ) is a town and summer resort in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Königswinter is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, opposite Bad Godesberg, at th ...
. By May 2006, Limbach had produced more than 6000 engines.
The engines are certified according to CS-22 Subpart H
for use in
motorglider
A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (MoP), capable of sustained soaring flight ...
s, CS-LSA
and
CS-VLA type of aircraft.
Most Limbach engines are based on the
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
flat-4
A flat-four engine, also known as a horizontally opposed-four engine, is a four-cylinder piston engine with two banks of cylinders lying on opposite sides of a common crankshaft. The most common type of flat-four engine is the boxer-four engine, ...
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
unit with displacement of up to 2.4 liters, and up to 160
BHP
BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...
in the
turbocharged
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
model. The smaller engines, all 1700cc and some 2000cc, are based on the air cooled "Type 1" unit, also referred to as the
Beetle
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
engine. The larger engines, some 2000cc and all 2400cc, are based on the
Wasserboxer
The Volkswagen wasserboxer is a four cylinder horizontally opposed pushrod overhead-valve (OHV) petrol engine developed by Volkswagen. The engine is water-cooled, and takes its name from the german: "wasserboxer" ("Water-boxer"); with "boxer" b ...
. The most powerful versions of the 2400cc engines have water cooled cylinder heads as well as electronic fuel injection and electronic ignition. Limbach also makes
two-stroke engine
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 ...
s for UAV as well as uncertified versions of a few
four-stroke engine
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 ...
s for the experimental
Homebuilt aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...
market. For most aviation enthusiasts though, Limbach is synonymous to the powerplant found in most German
Motorglider
A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (MoP), capable of sustained soaring flight ...
s.
By late 2011 the company planned to close due to a worsened climate in which they were unable to operate. Allegedly an open letter dated 25 August 2011 could be found on their website, saying: "Years of ever increasing regulations and requirements have been choking us. Our efforts to operate in that environment were not successful because we cannot provide the necessary resources. Additionally there are government activities that hinder our current business and we cannot make plans for the future." Around the same time, Limbach was under investigation by German authorities for the unauthorized export of engines to Iran.
In late 2012 it was announced that the Limbachs assets had been sold to Mr. Chen Shuide who tends to continue producing Limbach engines with Peter Limbach still on board.
As of April 2014, the company is still in business.
In September 2020, Germany's intelligence services reported that motors sold to Iran were found in drones used by Houthi rebels.
Products
4 Stroke certified engines
*
Limbach L 1700 - 59 to 67 HP
*
Limbach L 2000 - 75 to 80 HP
*
Limbach L 2400 - 93 to 130 HP
4 Stroke engines for experimental use
*
Limbach L 2400 DTX - 158 HP, Turbo
2 Stroke Engines for UAV
*
Limbach L 275E - 20 HP
*
Limbach L550E
The Limbach L550E is a German aircraft engine, designed and produced by Limbach Flugmotoren of Königswinter.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', pages 240-241. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ...
- 50 HP
Applications
References
External links
*
{{Limbach aeroengines
Aircraft engine manufacturers of Germany