Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
By Forfoxake
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1860464
"Gunskirchen, Austria, July 19th, 2021 – BRP-Rotax announced that it will stop the production of the legendary 2-stroke Rotax 582 UL aircraft engine by end of 2021. This decision has been taken considering the nearly full transition of the light and ultralight aircraft market towards 4-stroke aircraft engines.


“The Rotax 582 UL engine is the last 2-stoke aircraft engine in series production and was definitely part of our company success in the past,” said Peter Oelsinger, General Manager BRP-Rotax / Member of the Management Board, Vice President Sales, Marketing RPS-Business & Communications. “The decision however reflects the market reality. Almost 100% of the customers demand 4-stroke aircraft engines; a demand that we can definitely fulfill with our range of innovative and high-quality 4-stroke aircraft engines,” he added.


The Rotax 582 UL will still be available via the Rotax authorized distribution network worldwide as long as the existing stock at the distributors lasts. Following its excellent service standards, the company and its network will continue to provide technical service for all existing Rotax 582 UL customers and aims to provide Rotax genuine spare parts availability up to 10 years after stop of production.

Q&A


Q: What are the reasons for the stop of production of the ROTAX 582 UL aircraft engine??


A: The decision reflects the market reality and transition towards 4-stroke aircraft engines.


A: The decreasing demand over the past years for the 2-stroke Rotax 582 UL aircraft engine also caused a shortage of parts and brought the situation that a requalification of many suppliers would be unprofitable.


Q: Can another company take over the series production of the Rotax 582 UL aircraft engine?


A: From an economical point of view - no; a transition of the manufacturing and production would not be profitable as the investment in new parts, production drawings, new casting tools (as some of the existing ones need replacement) as well as the search and qualification of new suppliers, etc. would represent a total investment well above any potential profits - or else would require sale prices well above market acceptance.


Q: How long will ROTAX 582 UL aircraft engines be available?


A: The Rotax 582 UL will still be available via the ROTAX authorized distribution network worldwide as long as the existing stock at the distributors lasts.


Q: Will Rotax Genuine parts for Rotax 582 UL aircraft engines still be available?


A: Rotax genuine parts availability for Rotax 582 UL is aimed to be provided for up to 10 years after stop of production.


Q: Will there still be provided customer service for Rotax 582 UL aircraft engines?


A: Following its excellent service standards, technical service for all existing Rotax 582 UL customers will be still provided via the Rotax authorized distributors or their independent Service Centers.



With more than 190.000 aircraft engines sold and a global operating 4-stroke-fleet of more than 50.000 aircraft engines, Rotax aircraft engines lead the light sport and ultralight aircraft market. Rotax offers a worldwide network consisting of 16 Rotax authorized aircraft engine distributors and more than 220 points of sales and service supporting 270 OEMs with more than 400 Rotax powered models and customers worldwide. Therefore Rotax aircraft engines are supplied to more than 80% of all aircraft manufacturer in its segment."
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By Sooty25
#1860470
oh well, that's going to bugger those of us that can't fit anything heavier.
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By lobstaboy
#1860476
Sooty25 wrote:oh well, that's going to bugger those of us that can't fit anything heavier.


If you've got the money, buy a couple of engines and a heap of commonly used spares, and hope they last you.
There are still plenty of 503s around and most spares can be found ok, others with difficulty, even though that engine went out of production many years ago.
Nevertheless this announcement is regrettable. It may be commercial reality. But it's the end of a link back to the early days of microlights (and there are a good few non-micros with 582s of course).
I love the 582 it's a great engine.
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By Ian Melville
#1860483
Not that there are lots out there, this will affect SSDR, both existing and new designs. There are other options out there, but none with the pedigree of the 582.
By patowalker
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1860602
It is clear the GM was referring to 2-stroke aircraft engines produced by Rotax.

“The Rotax 582 UL engine is the last 2-stoke aircraft engine in series production and was definitely part of our company success in the past,” said Peter Oelsinger, General Manager BRP-Rotax / Member of the Management Board, Vice President Sales, Marketing RPS-Business & Communications
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By Mz Hedy
#1860681
lobstaboy wrote:... it's the end of a link back to the early days of microlights...

I thought in the early days of microlights engine provenance and reliability weren't considered an issue. As long as your engine got you airborne, everything else was a bonus. Glide approaches were the norm.
Or so I've been told. :whistle:

Certainly in the middle years of microlighting, Rotax 2-strokes provided previously unheard of reliabilty to these small hard-working engines.

After the last 582 is sold, what engine is there out there that can provide similar power and reliability for light 2-seaters that can't carry the weight of a Rotax 912? (An opportunity for electric?).

Edited to add: just seen this
neilld wrote:Really?
What about https://hirthengines.com/
By cockney steve
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1860716
When I researched the various cheaper options O was somewhat stunned to find the venerable 586 was still oh ihe price-list.

Advertising and promotion have a lot to do with it as does profit -per unit.
By cockney steve
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1860796
Sorry, brain fart.'582,of course. shame they didn't put dual ignition on earlier,redundancy in the sparks dept. is pretty vital to reliability in an aero-application (or jet-ski or snowmobile, which was their original goal )and likely why they were so much cheaper :P

edited to correct clumsy fingers :oops:
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By lobstaboy
#1860817
The 582 always had dual ignition as far as I know. it was the earlier 503 that went from single to dual. Very different engines not least because the 503 is air cooled and the 582 water cooled.
By cockney steve
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1860835
i think the arly 582 was the "silver -top" (head) and the blue- top was the dual-ignition version.
edited for fat-fingers again. :oops:
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By Sooty25
#1860903
cockney steve wrote:i think the arly 582 was the "silver -top" (head) and the blue- top was the dual-ignition version.
edited for fat-fingers again. :oops:


Nope, all 582 are dual ignition, regardless of head
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