Engine Considerations

[SuberAvid 617]

Sorry about adding to the hijacking of your thread Larry.  I think what you said about the planes with the 912 having the best resale value is a good point and maybe why to so many the 912 is the only option they would consider.  For me this is not even a consideration.  I never even consider if someone else would want to buy my plane when I do something to it.  It doesn't matter to me; I just do what I want to it for my own interest and use.  I can understand that others who are interested in building or owning their plane with selling in mind may do things from a completely different mindset.  Probably why after briefly considering going in as a partner on a certified AC, I decided that was just not going to work for me for both reasons. 

On the redrives I would say that you are right that they have historically been a common point of failure.  That said, I think the Stratus redrive is not the case and is in no way an unproven, home grown job.  It is well designed with a strong investment cast aluminum body and designed to allow full adjustment tilt for belt tracking and tension, as well as an added crank support bearing.   With right at 300 hours on it now I have never had to adjust it since setting it up and the belt still looks like new.  I will repack the bearings and change the belt for the first time this spring when the temps warm up. I expect that to cost me about $100.

If the intent for building a plane is to sell it though, then I agree, bend over and pay the bucks for a Rotax; obviously the SLSA majority can't be wrong and they seem to be ble to get $80K and up from folks who can afford them.

[EDMO 1078]

Randy,

     Of course I completely agree with your thinking, and I am also too retired ("poor?") to pay the high price for another engine when the Subaru is 3 times cheaper.  Of course, a plane with a $30K engine is going to sell higher than one with a $10K engine.

     The Stratus used to be the ONLY conversion engine that insurance companies would insure.

To each his own - for my own, I am not worried how much my heirs will get for it after I am gone - I just want to have it "my way".

     I think that you and others, like Reiner Hoffman, and Dave Johnson, have shown that the Subaru EA-81 engine is a good dependable engine and redrive.

    There are only 4 choices for engines right now for small aircraft:

1.  auto conversions - rotary and reciprocating

2.  certified

3.  experimental - inline and radial

4.  2-stroke

each has its attributes, deficiencies, and cost - we all have to make choices.

YES, the day of the electric is coming, but not here yet!

 

     BTW:  I think the EA stands for Experimental Aircraft, as the first EA-51 was built for an airplane - the 50 hp just wasn't enough, so they put the boxer aircraft engine into a car, like VW and Porsche did earlier.

EDMO

Edited 26 Dec 2013 by Ed In Missouri

[wolves200 31]

Engines; what a subject!!! specially in the aviation comunity .- I wish we could enjoy the car industry engine level at same prices!!!

 

there is one here, rather easy, don´t know much about consumption and reliability, but it seems very very simple.

 

http://www.maengtech.com/

 

Regards

Dimi3

Edited 24 Oct 2014 by Wolverine

[EDMO 1078]

I don't think that 150cc, 8 or 10 horsepower will get my plane off of the ground!!!

EDMO

[wolves200 31]

Hey Ed;

 

:news: :news: :news: :news:

 

check again the website, particularly the one that says "TECHNICAL"

 

Regards

Dimi3

Edited 25 Oct 2014 by Wolverine

[Av8r3400 1179]

That is a pretty cool engine concept, Dimi3.

I'd love to see something like that suceed.

[EDMO 1078]

I will believe it when it actually runs - Looks like they need money - no rpm given - I will put my bet on it self-destructing in the first hour! Anything can be drawn on a computer....And I can see several engineering problems with this design.

EDMO

Edited 25 Oct 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[akflyer 1427]

They have vids of it running.... its the proof of concept design that is a smaller scale engine, but at least someone is working on something that is not 1930s technology.

 

[EDMO 1078]

Just guessing at the gear ratio of 5:1, this thing would have to turn about 12,500 rpm to get the prop up to 2500 - and the bang from that huge piston on the unbalanced crank would be tremendous...Other designs have been tried, lost huge amounts of investor's money, and failed. More smaller cylinders (bangs per revolution) makes a smoother running and more powerful engine.
We had 1, 2, and 3 cylinder John Deere diesel engines running one of our cotton gins when I was growing up - the bores were so big that a small man could fit inside them - They would shake the ground when always running at an extremely slow rpm - and we could hear them from 5 miles away. They could run a gin, or a ship, but certainly not a plane.
EDMO

Edited 25 Oct 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[wolves200 31]

way too early (ejem...since 2009 nothing has happend) to say anything about the engine really, we are GUESTIMATING the performance, but the paper says that has a gear ration of 2:1 and achieve it´s maximum torque (based on the demonstrator model) at 3500RPM.

 

this is not a rotary engine,  Junkers was using a diesel engine with a rotary sleeve valve as well... I sent them a mail a couple of years ago, asking more about the engine and I got a very vague answer, don´t know really what are they holding on for...

 

Regards

Dimi3

Edited 25 Oct 2014 by Wolverine

[wolves200 31]

Hello Michael and co;

 

when are we expecting to see any of your engines on the market and what are the estimated costs??? Looking forward to see more reviews such as reliability fuel consumption, TBO and so on...

 

looking forward to hear from you soon.

 

Regards

Graeme Williams <grarobwil@bigpond.com>

25/1/12

   

para mí

 

Hello Dimitri,

 

Thank you for your interest.

 

We had hoped to have our 250cc version available about midyear, but the company we were negotiating with in Germany to manufacture these engines under license has fallen through as of the 23^rd January and the release date for this model engine is unknown at this time.

 

I sorry but that is all the information I can tell you.

 

Please keep in touch and I will keep you updated on any progress.

 

Kindest regards

Graeme

 

Graeme Williams

Marketing Manager/Director

MA Engine Technologies Pty Ltd

P.O. Box 234

Howard 4659

Australia.

+61 7 41294212

grarobwil@bigpond.com

www.maengtech.com

[EDMO 1078]

It is very hard for a limited production engine to equal the price and proven endurance of a suitable automobile or other land vehicle engine. The hardest part is finding and adapting a suitable one.

EdMO