Yes Pat this guy is a menace. The idea the he would start a engine CONVERSION when he didn't know much about engines is quite Polyanna. My suggestion is that he would have equally botched a O-200 rebuild. What makes an aircraft engine? Attention to details, all of them. If you look at another article in the same issue, the top end overhaul of an IO-540? and look at the money spent there it would likely have exceeded the money spent on the Q2!
One thing to remember about this article is that there has never been a 1 rotor Mazda! The entire engine was a chop job to begin with. I am a rotary engine supporter and people need to be reminded that the single rotor engine STARTED by cutting the main part of the engine, (the excentric shaft), into two parts! Knowledgeable engine builders have failed in making this conversion, and using it to power an airplane requires you know what you are doing. While a single rotor engine has been done, and done well by some, it is still a big job and shouldn't be thought of a a casual effort. Put this in perspective. Take the engine from your old Mustang 5 liter. Now cut it in half. Would you expect that engine would run without re-balancing? With no oil pressure? Would you use it to power your airplane? If done correctly it would work just fine, but every detail would need to be gone over with the thought that you planned to put this engine in a plane.
Bill jepson