I was going to say that I’d seen a rotary engined aeroplane flying but after doing some research it looks like I was mistaken.
What I saw was a Bleriot XI which has a 3 cylinder “W” engine. Still cool though.
As far as Continentals go, I’ve flown behind just one as far as I can tell, a 100hp Rolls-Royce built 0-200-A fitted to a PA-18 Cub. It didn’t stop on me in 50 hours so I guess that’s good!
I tell a lie, I’ve flown behind a couple of Continental IO-520s in a Beech Baron. They didn’t stop on me either, and there’s double the chance of a failure in a twin!
On the subject of vibration, this can be influenced by things other than the engine. I’ve flown a Britten-Norman Islander and a Shrike Commander, both were fitted with Lycoming IO-540 engines but the Shrike was a lot smoother than the Islander.
That’d be what some models of Mazda have as well, but it appears that some Wankels are purpose built for aircraft rather than being a Mazda conversion.
What an awesome thread. In the SDMB, no less. I’m getting an erection. Makes a man want to come back to the message board again, and post from time-to-time.
Not much to add to the discussion above, other than I’ve flown behind both and owned a number of planes. If your primary concern is cost of ownership and not hair-splitting about performance or vibration, then the biggest variables will be in your control and I would worry less about the actual engine type. Unless of course you are getting something that is truly going out of style, like a Franklin.
Fly the plane regularly (1 hour or more at least once/week) change the oil and filter as soon as it starts to darken, preheat under 40F, do the analysis every 3rd or 4th change, keep the prop balanced and in good condition, and keep the major engine components on a PM schedule. If you do all that, my experience is that the TBO will become (almost) meaningless.
Drop back in and give us a Pirep the next time you take it up.