The Continental O-240 engine is a four-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled aircraft engine that was developed in the late 1960s for use in

light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft c ...

Continental Motors, Inc. Continental Aerospace Technologies is an aircraft engine manufacturer located at the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was originally spun off from automobile engine manufacturer Continental Motors Company in 1929 and own ...

The first O-240 was certified on 7 July 1971.

Design and development

The O-240 was a new engine design derived from the six-cylinder

Continental O-360 The Continental IO-360 is a family of fuel-injected air-cooled, horizontally opposed six-cylinder aircraft engines manufactured by Continental Motors in the United States of America, now part of AVIC International since 2010. The engine is a ...

and introduced in 1971. It is generally similar in overall dimensions to the

Continental O-200 The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 in³ (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''Federal Aviation Admini ...

, but with a higher 8.5:1 compression ratio, designed to run on 100/130

avgas Avgas (aviation gasoline, also known as aviation spirit in the UK) is an aviation fuel used in aircraft with spark-ignited internal combustion engines. ''Avgas'' is distinguished from conventional gasoline (petrol) used in motor vehicles, w ...

. The O-240 delivers 30% more power than the O-200 while it weighs only 12% more. It may be mounted in

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...

pusher configuration In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in nor ...

.Christy, Joe: ''Engines for Homebuilt Aircraft & Ultralights'', pages 58-59. TAB Books, 1983. The O-240 was produced under license in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Rolls-Royce Limited Rolls-Royce was a British luxury car and later an aero-engine manufacturing business established in 1904 in Manchester by the partnership of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Building on Royce's good reputation established with his cranes, they ...

and was used to power the Reims-Cessna FRA150 Aerobat, a more powerful aerobatic model of 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 ...

constructed in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Reims Aviation Reims Aviation Industries was a French aircraft manufacturer located in the city of Reims, most recently producing the F406 Caravan II. Reims Aviation was a wholly owned subsidiary of GECI Aviation. History Max Holste, the company founder, ...

under license.Gunston 1989, p.42. Rolls-Royce acquired the rights to the O-240, but not the IO-240 in 1977. The

fuel-injected 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 compr ...

IO-240-A and -B were introduced in 1993. The A and B versions differ only in the type of fuel injector used. The IOF-240 is similar to the IO-240-B except that it employs an Aerosance

FADEC A full authority digital engine (or electronics) control (FADEC) is a system consisting of a digital computer, called an "electronic engine controller" (EEC) or "engine control unit" (ECU), and its related accessories that control all aspects of ai ...

system to control the ignition and fuel injection systems. The engine was not selected to power any production North American-manufactured aircraft until the

Liberty XL2 The Liberty XL2 is a two-seat, low-wing, general aviation aircraft manufactured from 2004–2011 by Liberty Aerospace of Melbourne, Florida. A derivative of the Europa XS kit plane, it serves both as a touring aircraft for private flyers and as ...

entered production in 2006 powered by the IOF-240-B.

Variants

;O-240-A :Dual ignition, at 2800 rpm, dry weight including starter and generator. Uses a Marvel-Schebler MA-3SPA IO 5067 carburetor. Certified 7 July 1971 ;IO-240-A :Dual ignition, at 2800 rpm, dry weight , uses a TCM 639231A27 fuel injector ;IO-240-B :Dual ignition, at 2800 rpm, dry weight , uses a TCM 639231A34 fuel injector ;IOF-240-B :Aerosance

system controls the ignition and fuel injection systems, at 2800 rpm, dry weight

Applications

;O-240 * AESL Airtourer T3 * Reims Cessna FRA150 Aerobat ("R" meaning a Rolls-Royce-built O-240) *

Rutan Voyager The Rutan Model 76 Voyager was the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. It was piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager. The flight took off from Edwards Air Force Base's 15,000 foot (4,600 m) runway in the Mojav ...

(front engine) *

Practavia Sprite The Practavia Sprite is a British two-seat homebuilt training or touring monoplane designed for amateur construction. It was the winning entry in a competition sponsored by ''Pilot'' magazine in 1968. The design had been begun as a magazine-spon ...

Rollason Condor The Druine D.60 Condor is a light aircraft designed by Roger Druine in France in the 1950s. Druine’s primary aim was to design a trainer aircraft for amateur construction. The Condor was subsequently made in quantity in the UK by Rollason Airc ...

(D62C) *

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Tri-R KIS TR-1 The Tri-R KIS TR-1 is an American homebuilt aircraft that was designed by Rich Trickel and produced by Tri-R Technologies of Oxnard, California, introduced in the 1990s. When it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur cons ...

Warner Revolution II The Warner Revolution II, also marketed as the Space Walker II, is an American homebuilt aircraft that was designed and produced by Warner Aerocraft of Seminole, Florida. When it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit or in the form ...

;IO-240 *

American Homebuilts John Doe The American Homebuilts John Doe is an American STOL homebuilt aircraft that was designed by Steve Nusbaum and produced by American Homebuilts of Hebron, Illinois, first flown in 1994. When it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit ...

Diamond DA20-C1 The Diamond DV20/DA20 Katana is an Austrian-designed two-seat general aviation light aircraft. Developed and manufactured by Diamond Aircraft, it was originally produced in Austria as the DV20. The DV20 shares many features from the earlier Dia ...

Eagle Aircraft 150B The Eagle Aircraft 150 is an Australian designed two-seat single-engine composite material training, touring and sport aircraft. It utilizes a three lifting surface design consisting of a forward wing (foreplane), main wing (mainplane) and hori ...

Rans S-16 Shekari The Rans S-16 Shekari is an American single-engined, two-seat, low-wing, aerobatic monoplane designed by Randy Schlitter, built by Rans Inc and sold as a kit for amateur construction.Downey, 2004, p.77Purdy, 1998, p.241Bertrand, 2003, p.194Down ...

Roko Aero NG4 The Roko Aero NG4 is a single-engined sport aircraft, available in both light-sport aircraft and ultralight models, which seats two side by side. It is in production in the Czech Republic. Design and development Jiří Konečný designed the C ...

;IOF-240-B *

Issoire APM 40 Simba The Issoire APM 40 Simba is a four-seat light aircraft manufactured by the French manufacturer Issoire Aviation. It is entirely built from carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers. The aircraft's first flight was on 19 May 2009, and it made its public de ...

Specifications (IOF-240-B)

References

Notes

Bibliography

*Gunston, Bill. ''World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines''. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. {{Continental aeroengines 1970s aircraft piston engines Boxer engines O-240