The Lycoming IO-720 engine is a large displacement, horizontally opposed, eight-cylinder aircraft engine featuring four cylinders per side, manufactured by Lycoming Engines. There is no carbureted version of the engine, which would have been designated O-720 and therefore the base model is the IO-720. The IO-720 and the Jabiru 5100 are the only flat-eight configuration aircraft engines currently in production.

Design and development

The engine has a fuel injection system which schedules fuel flow proportionally to the airflow, with fuel vaporization occurring at the intake ports. The engine has a displacement of 722 cubic inches (11.8 litres) and produces 400 hp. The cylinders have air-cooled heads cast from aluminum alloy with a fully machined combustion chamber. The first IO-720 was type certified on 25 October 1961 to the CAR 13 standard as amended to 15 June 1956 including 13-1, 13-2, 13-3, 13-4. In 2009 a new IO-720-A1B cost US$113,621, with a rebuilt engine retailing for US$75,435 and a factory overhaul priced at US$66,289.

Variants

Applications

Specifications (IO-720A)