Porsche PFM 3200 aircraft engine: The 911 of the skies

S They are called Mooney M20L, Cessna 182Q and Robin DR400 /RP and have one thing in common: Their engine comes from Zuffenhausen. Since 1988, a 3.2-liter six-cylinder boxer engine with forced cooling has been driving the three small aircraft models with space for one pilot and three passengers. The Porsche engine with the name PFM 3200 in the extended nose of the aircraft produces 212 hp at take-off and 200 hp when cruising.

From the sports car to the sports aircraft

But before the sports car engine in the 80s Years, extensive adjustments had to be made. The crankshaft corresponded to that of the engine in the 911 Turbo 3.3 since 1977 with a stroke of 74.7 millimeters. On the other hand, Porsche only offered the 95 millimeter bore in combination with this crankshaft in the 911 Carrera 3.2 from 1984. For weight reasons, the fan wheel is also made of magnesium. A propeller drive reduces the engine speed in a ratio of 1: 0.442, so that the PFM 3200 rotates at 5,300 revolutions per minute when it is started. At this point in time there are 2,340 revolutions on the propeller shaft.

Porsche Museum

The nose has been lengthened a little so that the Porsche engine fits into the plane.

Theoretically, cylinder heads from automobiles fit, but the valve seats of the aircraft engine have to be adapted and various additional holes drilled. At the same time, the camshaft drive is converted from a chain to gear wheels. In addition, there is a second alternator and double ignition using two electronic map ignition systems and two spark plugs each. Double ignition only followed in vehicle construction with the Porsche 964 in 1988.

Comparable aircraft engineswere then and are still equipped with magneto ignition systems. One reason for the commercial failure of the Porsche engine. Because while Porsche's ignition system depends on at least one functioning generator, the magneto ignition also works without an external power supply. If both generators fail, an aircraft with the PFM 3200 can only fly on for an hour on battery power. A disadvantage that the competition regularly brought into public.

Only 20 take off today

The first aircraft to have the 911 engine in the year 1982 was the Cessna 182 Skylane with the registration D-EIMP. In 1985, Porsche added an aircraft manufacturer to its fleet whose model was supposed to be even better suited to the engine: Mooney. A total of 40 machines of the sporty type M20L received the PFM 3200. Between 1986 and 1989, a handful of pilots also treat themselves to a Robin DR400 /RP ('Remorqueur Porsche'). Back then, the Porsche engine cost a good two and a half times as much as the aggregates installed to date.

Philipp Prinzing

The Mooney airplane is considered the sports car among small aircraft. So perfect for a sports car engine.

Porsche produces a total of 180 examples of the PFM 3200. Around 80 of them find their way into an airplane. Again only 20 of these planes are still taking off worldwide, twelve of which can be found in Heubach, 55 kilometers east of Stuttgart. A Mooney M20L PFM 3200 is currently on sale in the US for $ 140,000.