Jim Duncan's Notes on the ZALP-K Engine

The engine ( referring to Will's engine ) is actually a ZALP-K. It stands for Zaporozhye Aeromodel Laboratory, Polyot - Kooperative. This is facility organized by Valery Yakovlev who works for Zaporozhye Motor Sich, a major manufacturer of jet and diesel engines for jet aircraft and trucks.

Yakovlev is an engineer there. He talked the management into providing a facility for the modelers (many of whom also work there) to build engines and planes. It is very well equipped.

Sergei Kostin, designed the original engines that became the ZALP. I don't know if he worked there or not, but other modelers can get things done for them there also (for a price?).

Valery Yakovlev says he made the molds for all of Kostin's engines. Kostin does all the fitting etc. I'm not sure who actually does the machining on the cases. The first Kostin engine had no name on the case. This engines is also known as the Kostin/Shelkalin as Shelkalin was working with him at the time. There were about 10 or 12 of them made.

The next version was called "TEXCO" which is kind or slang (I think) for Technical. It has the name cast across the bypass. After that Kostin went to work for Rossi in Italy because Rossi wanted to produce another good speed engine. He told Kostin the engine had to have the Rossi name on it (even though the castings were made in the Ukraine?). About 6 engines were made of this variety.

At last was the ZALP-K. The major outward change was from a 4-bolt backplate to a threaded backplate. I'm sure there were other changes internally. Kostin uses this engine now. Many of these engines are just called Kostin's or Kostin ZALP's. One would have to see the bypasses to tell them apart.

Hope this helps! (Incidentally, the "production" numbers are from Sergei Kostin during a short interview at Kiev. JIM

Thanks, Jim! Perhaps the only man in the Americas that could parse this story out. Without Jim this, and many other mysteries would remain for us.