Enhanced aero diesel engine

A compact, lightweight ferritic aero diesel engine comprising:

• an iron crankcase having a flat, horizontally opposed eight cylinder arrangement, the iron crankcase defining a first set of cylinder walls defining four cylinders in a first bank and a second set of cylinder walls defining four cylinders in an opposed second bank;
• a steel crankshaft rotatably mounted at least partially within the iron crankcase;
• eight steel piston assemblies, each of the steel piston assemblies received within a respective cylinder of the iron crankcase and coupled to the steel crankshaft;
• a coolant system, wherein adjacent cylinders of the ferritic aero diesel engine are spaced apart, and wherein the space between cylinder walls defines a water jacket between the adjacent cylinders through which engine coolant of the coolant system is circulated to maintain the temperature of the cylinders by retaining heat to facilitate compression combustion of the engine and avoid freezing of combustion during low-power descents;
• and
• an engine lubrication system having a first centrifuge mechanism configured to separate blow-by gases from lubricating oil, and a second centrifuge mechanism configured to further separate aerosolized lubricating oil from the blow-by gases.

A compact, lightweight ferritic aero diesel engine comprising:

• an iron crankcase having a flat, horizontally opposed eight cylinder arrangement, the iron crankcase defining a first set of cylinder walls defining four cylinders in a first bank and a second set of cylinder walls defining four cylinders in an opposed second bank;
• a steel crankshaft rotatably mounted at least partially within the iron crankcase;
• eight steel piston assemblies, each of the steel piston assemblies received within a respective cylinder of the iron crankcase and coupled to the steel crankshaft;
• a coolant system, wherein adjacent cylinders of the ferritic aero diesel engine are spaced approximately 12 mm apart, and wherein the space between cylinder walls defines a water jacket between the adjacent cylinders though which engine coolant of the coolant system is circulated;
• and
• an engine lubrication system having a first centrifuge mechanism configured to separate blow-by gases from lubricating oil, and a second centrifuge mechanism configured to further separate aerosolized lubricating oil from the blow-by gases.