The Lycoming IO-390

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

is a

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 ...

four-cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...

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 ...

, manufactured by

Lycoming Engines Lycoming Engines is a major American manufacturer of aircraft engines. With a factory in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Lycoming produces a line of horizontally opposed, air-cooled, four, six and eight-cylinder engines including the only FAA-certi ...

. There is no carburetted version of the engine, which would have been designated O-390 and therefore the base model is the IO-390.

Design and development

The engine was originally conceived in the 1970s as the IO-400-X, but the project was never pursued. The IO-390 family of engines, which Lycoming refers to as the IO-390-X, produce to . The IO-390 was developed from the similar IO-360 engine, to increase the O-360's cylinder bore. (Although the IO-390 cylinder assembly is not the same part number as the IO-580, the cylinder barrels of both have a 5.318 bore and 4.375 stroke dimension.) It features a tuned induction system, roller tappets and Slick Start ignition. The engine has a

fuel injection Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines. All comp ...

system which meters fuel in proportion to the induction airflow with fuel vaporization taking place at the intake ports. The engine has a

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

of . The cylinders have air-cooled

heads A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may no ...

. The IO-390 was first introduced at

AirVenture EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (formerly the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In), or just Oshkosh, is an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at Wittman Regional Airport and adjacent Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, ...

2002. It has a factory recommended TBO of 2000 hours and requires a dynafocal engine mount. The IO-390 was initially marketed through Lycoming's custom engine subsidiary, Thunderbolt Engines, prior to the engine's

certification Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

and was at that time only available for installation on non-certified aircraft. The IO-390 was certified on 30 March 2009 to FAR 33. In January 2009 the base price of the IO-390-EXP version was

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

$32,650.00. In November 2009 Lycoming announced that it had obtained an FAA Supplemental Type Certificate to replace the originally fitted

Lycoming O-360 The Lycoming O-360 is a family of four-cylinder, direct-drive, horizontally opposed, air-cooled, piston aircraft engines. Engines in the O-360 series produce between 145 and 225 horsepower (109 to 168 kW), with the basic O-360 produc ...

engines in the Mooney M20E, M20F and M20J with a new or remanufactured IO-390-A3A6 engine. Also on November 12, 2009

Commander Aircraft Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

received an STC for its model 112B using the MTV-12-B/188-59b propeller.

Variants

IO-390 models

;IO-390-X :Four-cylinder, fuel-injected, horizontally opposed, air-cooled direct drive, , at 2700 rpm, dry weight , The "X" designation is a generic indicator for all engines in the family. ;IO-390-EXP :Four-cylinder, fuel-injected, horizontally opposed, air-cooled direct drive, , at 2700 rpm, dry weight , non-certified engine for experimental aircraft assembled by Lycoming's Thunderbolt division. ;IO-390-A1A6 :The initial certified version: four-cylinder, fuel-injected, horizontally opposed, air-cooled direct drive, , at 2700 rpm. This model includes provisions for a single-action controllable-pitch propeller. Certified 30 March 2009. ;IO-390-A1B6 :Certified version: four-cylinder, fuel-injected, horizontally opposed, air-cooled direct drive, , at 2700 rpm. Same as the A1A6, except that the propeller governor is located on left front of crankcase. Certified 21 January 2010. ;IO-390-A3A6 :Certified version: four-cylinder, fuel-injected, horizontally opposed, air-cooled direct drive, , at 2700 rpm. This model includes provisions for a single-action controllable-pitch propeller. This model is similar to the A1A6 but has its propeller flange bushings reindexed. Certified 27 August 2009. ;IO-390-A3B6 :Certified version: four-cylinder, fuel-injected, horizontally opposed, air-cooled direct drive, , at 2700 rpm. Same as the A3A6 except that the propeller governor is located on left front of the crankcase. Certified 5 April 2012. ;IO-390-C1A6 :Certified version: four-cylinder, fuel-injected, horizontally opposed, air-cooled direct drive, , at 2700 rpm. This model is similar to the IO-390-A1A6, except with a lightweight oil sump, cold air induction housing, tuned intake pipes and an RSA-10 fuel injector. Certified 25 January 2016. ;IO-390-C1B6 :Certified version: four-cylinder, fuel-injected, horizontally opposed, air-cooled direct drive, , at 2700 rpm. This model is the same as the C1A6, except that the propeller governor is located on left front of the crankcase. Certified 25 January 2016. ;IO-390-C3A6 :Certified version: four-cylinder, fuel-injected, horizontally opposed, air-cooled direct drive, , at 2700 rpm. This model is the same as the C1A6, except that the propeller flange bushings are reindexed. Certified 25 January 2016. ;IO-390-C3B6 :Certified four-cylinder, fuel-injected, horizontally opposed, air-cooled direct drive, , at 2,700 rpm, dry weight 296 lb (134 kg). This model is the same as the C3A6, except that the propeller governor is located on left front of the crankcase. Used on

Cirrus SR20 The Cirrus SR20 is an American piston-engined, four- or five-seat composite material, composite monoplane built since 1999 by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota. The aircraft is the company's earliest type certificate, type-certified model, earni ...

G6.

AEIO-390 models

;AEIO-390-A1A6 :Certified version: aerobatic, four-cylinder, fuel-injected, horizontally opposed, air-cooled direct drive, , at 2700 rpm. This model is the same as IO-390-A1A6, except that it is equipped with an inverted oil system kit for aerobatic flight. Certified 5 April 2012. ;AEIO-390-A1B6 :Certified version: aerobatic, four-cylinder, fuel-injected, horizontally opposed, air-cooled direct drive, , at 2700 rpm. This model is the same as IO-390-A1B6, except that it is equipped with an inverted oil system kit for aerobatic flight. Certified 5 April 2012. ;AEIO-390-A3A6 :Certified version: aerobatic, four-cylinder, fuel-injected, horizontally opposed, air-cooled direct drive, , at 2700 rpm. This model is the same as IO-390-A3A6, except that it is equipped with an inverted oil system kit for aerobatic flight. Certified 5 April 2012. ;AEIO-390-A3B6 :Certified version: aerobatic, four-cylinder, fuel-injected, horizontally opposed, air-cooled direct drive, , at 2700 rpm. This model is the same as IO-390-A3B6, except that it is equipped with an inverted oil system kit for aerobatic flight. Certified 5 April 2012.

Applications

;Amateur-built aircraft *

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* Glasair Sportsman *

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* Van's Aircraft RV-15 *

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;Certified aircraft * Aura Aero Integral R - aerobatic - certification in progress (2021) *

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- available in July 2009 under an STC *

- factory installed IO-390-C3B6 version on the SR20 G6 version * Mooney M20 E, F & J - available in November 2009 under an STC * Piper PA-28R Arrow - proposed under STC *

Symphony SA-160 The Symphony SA-160 is a CAR 523 certified, two-seat, single-engine, high-wing airplane that was manufactured by Symphony Aircraft Industries in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada in the mid-2000s.Hunt, Adam: ''A brief history of Symphony Aircr ...

- proposed as a factory installed version, but aircraft no longer in production *

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;Military Aircraft * Lancair Synergy T-90

Colombian Air Force , "We are the Force" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Colombian Air Force Hymn , mascot = Capitan Paz , anniversaries = 8 November , ...

Specifications (IO-390-A1A6)

References

External links

* {{Lycoming aeroengines 2000s aircraft piston engines IO-390 2002 introductions