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Let me be the first to tell you so........

C

CNEJR

Well Known Member
I just watched Bud Warren's new firewall forward package for the RV10 run, for those of you building 10's you must see this at Sun n Fun. It is the cleanest, smoothest setup I have yet to see. In short it is just a "work of art". Based on a Corvette Engine with a centrifigal clutch it is nothing but smooth at all RPM's. Weight is comparable or less than a 540. Use any kind of prop., hydralic govenor of your choice and burns mo gas. Water cooled. All cowl mods come with Bud's package and are easily adapted to a stock Van's cowl. At literally 1/2 the price of a 540.

This setup is absolutely amazing. See it run at Sun n Fun, but remember I told you first. You won't be disappointed. I have seen the future...now if I could just find the money for an RV10 kit.

http://geareddrives.com
 
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I spent a lot of time looking over the install on N901RC, the Wheeler Express. It looked like a nice (but somewhat complicated) package.

I hope they have better luck with them than what happened to 901RC...

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20071106X01740&key=1

And I'm honestly not trying to start a fight when I say this, but the advertised price for the LS1 package for the -10 is $29,900, and Aerosport's website says their prices for an overhauled IO-540 starts at $34,500. Not quite sure where these are "literally 1/2 the price of a 540."
 
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The demise of N901RC was due to a gas line leading to the engine. I think Bud probably has the best PSRU available on the market. I am not too fond of the radiator being placed right against the firewall. I think he will provide a very viable package. I have watched Bud Wheeler Express videos many of times and his engine just purrs.
 
I am glad someone brought this forward and posted the NTSB report. I personally examined the PSRU on Bud's Wheeler after the accident. The accident as the report indicated had nothing to do with the PSRU, but with a ruptured fuel hose. It was a terrible tragedy for Bud, but things do happen.

In 1972, I sat next to my dad as he received word that his best friend had been killed in a horrible maintenance accident in a T-38. Although tragic, we were still flying T-38's the next day. Risk is inherient in flying, we do the best we can to mitigate that risk and go on. If we didn't we would simply be confined to look at the birds and stars from the ground. No space shuttles, no commercial flight and certainly no general aviation. Will there be other aviation losses, unfortunately yes. Will we keep flying and trying new ideas? Yes, we will.

In regard to the "1/2" price, when I looked at Aerosport site, I think a new IO540 was priced at $51.500.00 + a list of additional options, acc. Let's be fair, "compare new equipment to new equipment."

I have exactly zero to gain or lose if Bud sells not one engine, literally "no dog in the hunt." I just saw his engine setup, watched it run and was really impressed with it and the clean installation. If you see it, I think you will be impressed favorably too.
 
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One good solution

CNEJR said:
I am glad someone brought this forward and posted the NTSB report. I personally examined the PSRU on Bud's Wheeler after the accident. The accident as the report indicated had nothing to do with the PSRU, but with a ruptured fuel hose. It was a terrible tragedy for Bud, but things do happen.

In 1972, I sat next to my dad as he received word that his best friend had been killed in a horrible maintenance accident in a T-38. Although tragic, we were still flying T-38's the next day. Risk is inherient in flying, we do the best we can to mitigate that risk and go on. If we didn't we would simply be confined to look at the birds and star from the ground. No space shuttles, no commercial flight and certainly no general aviation. Will there be other aviation losses, unfortunately yes. Will we keep flying and trying new ideas? Yes, we will.

In regard to the "1/2" price, when I looked at Aerosport site, I think a new IO540 was priced at $51.500.00 + a list of additional options, acc. Let's be fair, "compare new equipment to new equipment."

I have exactly zero to gain or lose if Bud sells not one engine, literally "no dog in the hunt." I just saw his engine setup, watched it run and was really impressed with it and the clean installation. If you see it, I think you will be impressed favorably too.
Click to expand...


The Clutch in the Geared Drives system also offers some relief from 1st order torsional vibration issues, though at the expense of some complication. Nice that he is set up for a constant speed prop from the outset too.
Bill Jepson
 
We're working with an LS6 engine right now which is certainly lighter than an all aluminum SBC. However with rads, coolant and PSRU, I don't see these being lighter than an IO-540 but certainly offering more power and being much smoother running and far cheaper at overhaul time plus cheaper initially compared to a new IO-540.

We need to see some more flight time on Bud's PSRU but so far it looks solid. Some further testing on the BBC powered NXT will demonstrate PSRU margins later this year.

Bravo for Bud staying with this after his freak accident.:)
 
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<<The Clutch in the Geared Drives system also offers some relief from 1st order torsional vibration issues...>>

Bill, I'll bet you meant to say "relief from the 4th and 8th order intersections with the 1st natural frequency" <g>

Anybody know the clutch lockup RPM?
 
BUT OF COURSE

DanH said:
<<The Clutch in the Geared Drives system also offers some relief from 1st order torsional vibration issues...>>

Bill, I'll bet you meant to say "relief from the 4th and 8th order intersections with the 1st natural frequency" <g>

Anybody know the clutch lockup RPM?
Click to expand...

Well OBVIOUSLY Dan:rolleyes: I will in future use the correct terms professor. :p Seriously I think you are covering the subject very well in your thread, but for a lot of our good technicians on the site their eyes start to glaze over for any discussion with equations that have more than 2 variables. When I start doing calculations I have to go into a totally different mind set. I have never been one of the guys that can just flow into and out of it.
Bill Jepson
 
<<I will in future use the correct terms professor>>

Seriously, terms are important, and one of more confusing aspects in layman discussions. There are often two or three names for the same thing. To make it worse, the real professors start talking theta, omega, delta and psi, and different books tend to use different symbols and letters for identical equations. Then you switch fields (translational, torsional, and electrical are analogous) and all the terms switch again.

<<..eyes start to glaze over for any discussion with equations that have more than 2 variables.....I have never been one of the guys that can just flow into and out of it.>>

You know the old saying about a dog and a peach seed? That's me doing math <g>
 
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