automobile engines for the RV-10

[N520TX]

There's also a Mazda Renesis powered RV10 down at Lockhart TX.

[MauiLvrs]

The odds look better at the **** table.....
And it's your life (or someone else's)

[rv6ejguy]

We have many examples of automotive powered aircraft which have accumulated hundreds or even thousands of hours of flight time without incident so it can be done and rarely does the actual engine fail however each engine/ gearbox/ propeller/ airframe combo is different and the technical difficulties are numerous, especially with the gearbox and its interface to the engine.

Many designs suffer from a lack of proper engineering oversight and especially ground and flight testing before they are offered for sale to the public. This is truly experimental and that should never be forgotten.

Certain installations have been very reliable and successful to date, notably the Robinson LS Seabee packages which have accumulated several thousand hours collectively on a number of airframes over the last decade or so.

I think it is unfortunate that many people become very myopic and overly excited about using automotive engines in aircraft and lose sight of the potential dangers involved. I have been appalled to learn about some of the nonchalant approaches to problem solving and test flying during some of these programs and way too many people have paid for this complacency with their lives. All too often, serious problems have been essentially ignored, leading to an accident.

[Vern]

I am all for experimental aviation and pushing the envelope to develop the 'next big thing.' Just not in a 4 seat or larger plane where innocents may pay the price for the experiment.

There are probably many knowledgeable pilots who would not ride in some planes that are regularly filled with unknowing passengers who do not understand the risks they are exposing themselves to.

A very thorough explanation of the required passenger warning on the panel is a moral imperative.

[RV10inOz]

Ross Farnham's last two posts should be put up on their own thread, stickied so they stay there.

Best advice I have read so far about anything.

A mate here in Brisbane has an RV8 with a Subbie, this is one of VERY FEW that actually performs, temps are all good, and is generally reliable. Maintaining the beast is a full time job though. Valve recession is the current thing being watched. Electric prop controller issues. We had to rig a temp/permanent alternate manual prop control circuit in the field, a long way from anywhere.

When that prop controller problem happened, if it were not for the fact Trevor, and his mate Tom (ex USAF and NASA) are brilliant aerobatic, glider and all sorts of other credentials pilots that aircraft would have been totalled.

That plane will never be flown with out Trevor on board. If it was a IO360 upfront....any number of us would fly it alone.

He has always said if it gives him grief....Lyc goes in. I do not consider myself or most pilots I know to be the kind of builder & pilot he is. You need to be exceptional at both. Unfortunately 80% of pilots believe they are in the top 20%.

[Phil]

Yeah, I thought Ross' takes were spot on. And that coming from a conversions guy too. There's some wise advice in there.

[Captain Avgas]

Originally Posted by rv6ejguy

I think it is unfortunate that many people become very myopic and overly excited about using automotive engines in aircraft and lose sight of the potential dangers involved.

As I've said previously, the enthusiasm with which builders embrace the concept of auto conversions is almost always inversely proportional to their understanding of things mechanical.

Consequently, the gear heads tend to steer well away from auto conversions while the guys who have never changed the oil in their car adopt the challenge with gusto.

[Don]

Originally Posted by Captain Avgas

Consequently, the gear heads tend to steer well away from auto conversions while the guys who have never changed the oil in their car adopt the challenge with gusto.

That brought to mind the old proverb, fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

[rv6ejguy]

Originally Posted by Captain Avgas

As I've said previously, the enthusiasm with which builders embrace the concept of auto conversions is almost always inversely proportional to their understanding of things mechanical.

Consequently, the gear heads tend to steer well away from auto conversions while the guys who have never changed the oil in their car adopt the challenge with gusto.

I totally agree with the first statement. Many lay people are suckered into the advertising hype and have their checkbooks open in a heartbeat.

Most of the successful conversions though have indeed been done by gearheads, machinists, fabricators and engineers who love a challenge and have some inkling of the challenges that lie ahead. The people who disregard good advice from experienced folks are the ones who really scare me.

[CNEJR]

Bud Warren of Geared Drives was a great friend, I think about him everyday. I always wanted one of his engines on an Airboat. On the front of an airplane, not so much, in fact never!