Burnie,
I have been meaning to comment on your planned conversion to 1940's
technology - because my wife really wants me to do the same thing.
She also REALLY insisted we get our seats done from the guy in the
hangar across the way because he gave a really good pitch and she bought it
- and because he charged $2200 to do the upholstery on just the seats - so
it must be good. (Turns out that I spent about $1300 too much on that
deal)
She also REALLY wanted me to buy an engine from this guy Neal Scherm
because he gave a really good pitch. But it turns out I waisted about
$5,000 on a junk (rusted solid) engine and nearly had a broken
alternator mount (causing water pump and then engine failure) because I
trusted the stuff he sold me. But it cost a lot so it must have been
the best choice...
She just also talked me into a $10k paint job when I know I can get the
same thing for $6k.
She want me to now buy a "new" engine for $5k when I know I can rebuild
it to speck for $1k.
She also, like most women, LOVES diamonds.... because....
they cost a lot! (if they were cheap, you couldn't give em
for valentine's day) :-)
She says she hates flying in my plane because of the rotary engine, and
wouldn't be afraid of a lycoming. But I know that she does anything
she can to avoid flying in lycoming powered planes as well. She wants
me to trade in the tail dragger for a tri-gear because some stranger at work
told her that tri-gear is safer.
Yet even when we get on a commercial air liner she can hardly stand the
take off and landing because she is so afraid.
However, I know that if I put a lyc in my plane now she would STILL be
reticent to fly with me. I love aviation, and she does not. Changing
to a lyc is not going to change that for us.
Like you, I want to have her along with me on trips and enjoy this
traveling machine that I have build. But despite what she says, I know
the best way to do that is: 1) fly a lot of hours without a major issue, 2)
make it quieter and smoother, 3) Make the plane look a lot better - to
include paint, nice interior, non-wood appearing prop, no exposed wires,
etc...
The engine issue will work itself out, and at this point (believe it or
not), I feel that I am less likely to have issues with continuing my rotary
setup than if I were to start all over with a lyc set up.
I also know that I am building this plane for my own
satisfaction. If all I wanted to do was go on trips I would have
bought a plane of some sort. The satisfaction factor goes way down
with a lyc. There is nothing like going to a fly-in and despite the
fact that my plane was unkempt and unpainted, it got 10x the attention of
the beautifully done RV's right next to it. Someday, it will be
beautiful and have a rotary. And someday I will have bragging rights
about performance that no stock lyc powered RV can touch.
In time, my engine problems will be written off as growing pains for a
new installation, and my wife will either be proud to fly in my plane, or it
wasn't going to happen behind any engine.