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Message
Thrust bearing is a real consideration but not a show
stopper. I'm thinking along the lines of a 3rd gen or Renesis thrust
bearing (larger than the 2nd gen part) and bolting the prop with a short
extension directly to the counterweight. The rotary's crankshaft is about
the only one I would consider doing this with. This would still mean
changing the thrust bearing every 500 hours or so.
Hi
Tracy,
OK, you have
my attention now :-) I was afraid to imagine bolting a
prop right on the counterweight like that, but since you brought it up, it's
fair game to talk about :-)
We
know the rotary has a bulldog of a shaft, and it sure "seems" like it
should be strong enough, but would it really survive prop loads? The
thrust bearings could possibly be upgraded, but they're easy to replace, and so
is the rear main bearing. Could these just be replaced periodically,
or would they need to be upgraded?
The real problem is that there are very few airplanes that fit this
configuration. The RV-3 is one of them and that's what got me
started.
I'll get you
for this <g>, but I should be thanking you for giving me
something else to think about while I'm stranded in the great
white north. I'll even imagine aluminum housings to lower the
weight further :-)
Lynn
mentioned oversquare operation, and we've all been taught not to "lug"
engines. Would 3500-4000 be lugging, or is it high enough to consider
normal WOT operation? Would this sort of operation carbon up the engines,
or would they stay clean? Would EGT's stay at a more reasonable
temp?
I bet Lynn has an opinion on this
:-)
Cheers,
Rusty
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