Message-ID: <001901c078bb$c65ee860$a0ca0041@saltlk1.ut.home.com>
From: "Robert Smiley" <robsmiley@home.com>
To: <lancair.list@olsusa.com>
References: <5.0.0.25.2.20010106234156.043f8eb0@olsusa.com>
Subject: Re: Interesting little editorial mazda    ---RESPONSE
Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2001 08:09:04 -0700
Reply-To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
Mime-Version: 1.0

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>>
 Mazda rotary,

I thought about a car engine on the lancair and came up with the following
thoughts.

The lancair is a pilots airplane.
Pilots want an aviation powerplant forward.
car motors are for cars.
Power reduction units are tricky to design and test. properly
matching props to PRU's and car motors is much experimentation and money and
more time.
I once raced outboard hydros in the Northwest and props were everything.  We
spent many hours and bucks testing props.  A unique combination is rare to
find.  Time proves out the winners.
Product support is very thin, you are dependent upon a single entity which
may disappear very soon.
Product support may be even discontinued during your project.
Specific to Mazda engines,  They are notoriously noisy and thirsty.

I went with the tried and true albeit very old but faithful Lycoming. It is
counterweighted, and carefully balanced to .025 inches per second behind an
MT prop and I am very happy.

I know of a person with a suburu in an RV and he has yet to get the speeds
he should with a 180 hp car motor that you get even with the 320 lycoming.

I also felt that resale value would be better with a complete proven
aviation system.

If someone wants to experiment with powerplants you could save yourself a
lot of money by putting the system on a less expensive airframe.

These were the thoughts that went through my head when building a high
performance flyer LNC2.

Bob Smiley,
94RJ

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Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.
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