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Ha, Chad, nicely put. Yes, any engine scares me. I cannot imagine having to tear down and build a Lycoming, of course the idea of doing so to a rotary scared me too before I had to do it a few times....now, not so much and cost is not as big an issue when cracking open the rotary.....the cost of just cracking into the Lyc....Yikes!!!. Heck, I didn't know you had to use a silk string between halves of a Lyc.....those little details make me nervous too.
Yes, the rotary scares me the least.
Chris Barber
Houston
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From: Rotary motors in aircraft [flyrotary@lancaironline.net] on behalf of Chad Robinson [crobinson@medialantern.com]
Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2012 10:25 PM
To: Rotary motors in aircraft
Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: Top 7 reasons for using an auto conversion
On 1/22/2012 7:19 PM, John Slade wrote:
1. Innovation. I couldn't bring myself to pay $18k for a used 1930's
tractor engine. Builders need a cheap, viable alternative to being
ripped off and I wanted to help find one. $700 for a used 30 year old
carburetor? Geesh!
2. Power. I wanted more power for take-off, climb and cruise. Take-off
power is a safety factor. You're in the "Oh shit" zone (Where its too
late to land ahead and too early to turn back) for much less time.
3. Cash-flow. I didn't have to shell out $18k all in one lump.
4. Vibration. Vibration is tiring for the pilot and destructive to the
systems.
5. Benign failure modes. If a Lyc fails internally it often does so
catastrophically. Rotaries tend to keep running, then die once they've
got you home.
6. Maintenance cost. If the engine blows up, while I glide toward the
nearest landing spot at least I wont be thinking "this is going to
cost me $18,000 to rebuild".
7. For the challenge and satisfaction of having done it.
My list is almost identical to this one, but I put #2 first (I mimicked
John's setup and went with a turbo), #5 second, and combine #6 -> #3. My
7th item is the ENORMOUS wealth of information available about this
engine online, in forums, in PDF files, in the experts' heads,
third-party (Tracy Crook) part suppliers, etc.
I went all the way and rebuilt my engine from scratch. It was very
satisfying, and I now know every part inside it. That doesn't make me
Lynn Hanover, but it does give me a sense of confidence that I wouldn't
have had with another engine. For any reason that would be a
heart-sinking and costly trip to the A&P with another engine - low
compression, metal dust in the oil pan, white smoke on startup, etc. - I
can rip the engine out and rebuild it in a good weekend. There is
nothing that would make me drag my feet and say "maybe it will clear
up." "Let's open it up and see what's going on" is an absolutely
reasonable answer.
I am terrified of my engine. I would be terrified of any engine - I
figure it's a good position for an experimental pilot to take. The
rotary terrifies me the least.
Regards,
Chad
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