An Alaskan company is working to bring more attention to an Italian two-stroke engine in the U.S. market. Straight Aero LLC, based in Anchor Point, Alaska, brought several Simonini engines to Sun ’n Fun 2025. Surprisingly, the engines are manufactured almost entirely in-house by a small Italian family-run company that employs just four workers.
Simonini has earned a solid reputation among European powered paraglider enthusiasts, but the brand has struggled to gain recognition in the U.S. That may soon change. The company’s largest engine, the Victor 2 Super, could be a direct replacement for the now out-of-production Rotax 582. The Simonini Victor 2 Super weighs about the same as the 582 but delivers 110 hp—significantly more than the Rotax’s 65 hp.
“It also burns less fuel and has a better TBO at 400 hours,” said Straight Aero LLC owner Matt Haakenson. The engine includes gearboxes with some compatibility with Rotax setups.
Dennis Shoemaker of Gyro Technic is now offering the Victor 2 as an option for his VX-1 gyros—and he has high praise for the setup. “I haven’t had a single hiccup. It starts without a prime or use of choke. And compared to the 582, which I have to fly at full throttle using 7.5 gallons an hour, I only need to use 70% power at 5 gallons per hour,” he said.
Haakenson noted that Simmonini has engines suitable for nearly every Part 103 aircraft and smaller N-numbered machine. The company offers various reduction ratios and exhaust configurations to suit a wide range of needs.
7.5Gal/hr is no where near 110hp
The Rotax tops out at 65 HP and 7.5 gph at full throttle. The Simonini claim is 5.0 gph @70% throttle for the same power delivery. You must’ve misread.
Peter, da hast du recht! Das eine ist Verbrauch pro Stunde, das andere ist die Kraft die der Motor produziert.
Read the article again. The 7.5 gph and the 110hp are 2 different engines.
I’ve flown about 120 hours behind one of the older 92hp Simonini Victor 2s in a Skyranger. They had a bit of a following here at my club in New Zealand, with 4 or 5 flying in various aircraft including a Rans S-10.
I haven’t flown with a 582, but the Simonini was great in my experience. Very powerful, and could cruise at 14-15L/hour.
I was also very impressed with the support from Simonini. They were really responsive and had all the parts available, and cheaper than Rotax.
I’m very interested in the engine , where can I buy one
For a prototype.
Interested in victor2supet for my older kitfox