Stirling Engines for Aviation

[ijgordon]

It is my understanding that Stirling engines would generate more
power at altitude. Has anyone given thought to using them in
aviation?

[tmckissick]

Ian,

There are a number of people interested in this. It does help that the ambient air drops in temp when that is used to cool the cold side of the engine. Quiet Revolution Motor Company wrote a paper on this. I don't see it on the site right now, but when I spoke to Phillip Hodge, their president, he had very high aspirations and was waiting on fundraising.
The biggest problem is weight and size. The Stirlings that have made it to the public arena have all had one problem to date, so far. As you scale the engine to larger powers, they become a lot larger and heavier. This more than offsets the other benefits. If you happen to find a design that gets more efficient as you scale it larger, invest in them. Long term, you won't be disappointed.

[stan.hornbaker]

A web search for "Stirling engines for aircraft" and similar terms will find several organizations who want to do the R&D work if they can just find the financial support. There are numerous problems associated with such a venture and don't expect to see a Stirling powered aircraft of any size any time soon.
My personal feeling is that this is future ware, wistfuld thinking, etc. for the time being at least.