Continental O-300
The Continental O-300 and the C145 are a family of air-cooled flat-6 aircraft piston engines built by Teledyne Continental Motors.[1]
| O-300 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Rolls-Royce Continental O-300 on display at the Solent Sky museum, England. | |
| Type | Piston aircraft engine |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Continental Motors |
| Major applications | Cessna 172 Cessna T-41 A Mescalero Cessna 175 Skylark Cessna 170 Maule M-4 |
| Produced | 1947- |
| Developed from | Continental C-125 |
First produced in 1947, versions were still in production as of 2004. It was produced under licence in the United Kingdom by Rolls-Royce in the 1960s.
Development
The C-145 was developed from the 125 hp (93 kW) C-125 engine. Both powerplants share the same crankcase, although the C-145 produces an additional 20 hp (15 kW) through a longer piston stroke, higher compression ratio of 7.0:1 and different carburetor jetting.[1]
The O-300 is a modernized C-145 and retains the same weight, dimensions, bore, stroke, compression ratio, displacement and output power of the earlier engine.[1]
GO-300
The GO-300 employs a reduction gearbox, so that the engine turns at 3200 rpm to produce a propeller rpm of 2400. The GO-300 produces 175 hp (130 kW) whereas the ungeared O-300 produces 145 hp (108 kW).[1]
The GO-300 engine has a TBO (Time Between Overhaul) of 1200 hours, while 1800 hours is the standard for ungeared O-300 engines. The GO-300 engine suffered reliability problems as a result of pilots mishandling the engine and operating it at too low an engine rpm. This caused the Cessna Skylark to develop a poor reputation for engine reliability. Many Skylarks flying today have been converted to different, larger-displacement, direct-drive engines.[2]
Variants
- C145
- Six-cylinder, 145 hp (108 kW), direct-drive engine.[1]
- C145-2
- O-300
- Modernized C145, 145 hp (108 kW), direct drive engine.[1]
- O-300-A
- O-300-B
- O-300-C
- O-300-D
- O-300-E
- Limited production for the Beagle B.218X twin that never went into production[3]
- GO-300
- Geared O-300, 175 hp (130 kW) at 3200 crankshaft rpm, 2400 propeller rpm.[1]
- GO-300-A
- GO-300-C
- GO-300-D
- Voyager 300
- Liquid-cooled, fuel-injected version developing 170 hp (127 kW) at 2,700 rpm.
- Rolls-Royce-Continental O-300
- Licence production in the United Kingdom.
Applications
O-300
- Aeronca Sedan
- Baumann Brigadier
- Cessna 160 - intended for production model[4]
- Cessna 170
- Cessna 172 and T-41 Mescalero
- Maule M-4
- Meyers MAC-145
- Taylorcraft 15
- Temco TE-1A
GO-300
- Cessna 175
- Goodyear GZ-19 and GZ-19A
Voyager 300
- Alexeev Strizh
Specifications (O-300)
Reference: Engines for Homebuilt Aircraft & Ultralights[1]
General characteristics
- Type: 6-cylinder air-cooled horizontally opposed aircraft piston engine
- Bore: 4 1⁄16 in (4.0625 in resp. 103.12 mm)
- Stroke: 3 7⁄8 in (3.875 in resp. 98.425 mm)
- Displacement: 301.4 in³ (4.94 L)
- Length: 39.75 in (101.0 cm)
- Width: 31.5 in (80.0 cm)
- Height: 23.25 in (59.0 cm)
- Dry weight: 268 lbs (121.5 kg) dry, without starter or generator
Components
- Cooling system: Air-cooled
Performance
- Power output: 145 hp (108 kW) at 2,700 rpm
- Specific power: 0.58 hp/in³ (26.5 kW/L)
- Compression ratio: 7.0:1
- Power-to-weight ratio: 0.54 hp/lb (0.89 kW/kg)
References
- Christy, Joe: Engines for Homebuilt Aircraft & Ultralights, pages 60-63. TAB Books, 1983. ISBN 0-8306-2347-7
- Perdue, Scott. "A Lark That Won't Quit". Retrieved 19 December 2008.
- Flight Global, 21 March 1963, p. 399
- Murphy, Daryl (2006). "The Cessnas that got away". Archived from the original on 27 February 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2008.