The development and manufacturing of piston aviation heavy oil engines remains a blank area in China at present, since the aviation gasoline is used in piston engines. The study of the piston aviation heavy oil engine is of great significance to the aviation for both general and military uses． The development stutus of researches abroad is reviewed,the performance parameters of 4 types of advanced engines are compared． The problems of combustion efficiency and control system are the keys of researches in China according to the advanced foreign technology. This review provides a technical reference for the development of the general aviation in our country.