Vedeneyev M14R: 450-HP

Rationale and Performance

The M14 series of engines is one of the world’s most widely used and proven aircraft engines, and is probably the most successful aerobatic engine of all time. Its use in aerobatics has been with various versions, but principally the M14P at 360-hp, and then more recently the ‘PF’ with 400-hp.
It became clear to us that there was a significant potential demand for an engine that could bring a light Su-26 or Su-31 into the category of more power than weight. Obviously with an M14PF engine and a 2.6m propeller we realised that if the aeroplane is light, the power to weight ratio is almost one to one. We felt that if we could get a significant jump over the ‘PF’, we could then bring about a totally new world of aerobatics, where the aeroplanes actually had more power than weight.
With this in mind we have now been working for two years with Vedeneyev, funding the development of the M14R engine, in which our goal has been over 450-hp.
The first customer engine in a Su-26M2 serial number 01-04 based in the UK. This aircraft is used by one of the best European Air Show performers, and is performing extremely well, and clearly giving every bit of its claimed power.
At sea level it is giving 1160mm of mercury of supercharger boost – equal to almost 46" of boost. In conjunction with the wide chord propeller (see below) the aircraft has a power to weight ratio comfortably in excess of 1:1. Rate of climb is in excess of 5,000ft/min.