VIJA Aircraft Engines
VIJA Aircraft Engines was a French engineering company that designed and built engines for ultralight aircraft use.
 | |
| Type | Limited liability company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Defunct | 2018 |
| Fate | Out of business |
| Headquarters | Toulouse, France |
| Products | Aircraft engines |
Number of employees | 2 |
| Website | http://www.vija-engines.com |
By 2015 the company website had been taken down and the company seemed to have ceased business then.[1]
The company was reported in 2017 to be looking for a buyer, but was finally closed in 2018.[2][3]
History
The company was founded by two brothers, Vincent and Jacques Trincal, hence the company name, VI-JA. They were motorcycle enthusiasts and sought to apply motorcycle engine technology to ultralight aircraft. They decided to adapt the engine from the Suzuki Bandit 1200, formerly the Suzuki GSX-R1100, for aviation use. The brothers started the company as a family owned limited liability company. The first showed a prototype at the Salon de Blois airshow in 2004 and had a first almost fully functional engine at Blois in 2005. Their project did not attract investments or qualify for bank loans and it was entirely funded by the family to €100,000.[4]
The first engine flew in an Aero Synergie J300 Joker testbed and produced 90 hp (67 kW) at 5700 rpm. Initial climb was 900 ft/min (4.5 m/s) and a cruise speed of 90 mph (145 km/h), consuming 2 U.S. gallons (7.6 L; 1.7 imp gal) per hour.[4]
References
- VIJA Aircraft Engines. "VIJA Aircraft Engines". vija-engines.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- "Vija Aircraft Engines à la recherche d'un repreneur – aeroVFR".
- Societe SAS (2022). "VIJA Aircraft Engines". societe.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- "Moteur Vija J-12Si". ulmag.fr. Retrieved 25 April 2018.