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Honda 1.8L on RV6A Now Flying!

Yup, understand. At some point it works well enough and is reliable. If you leave it alone, it should continue to function that way...

Tinkering more cuts into your flying time and can introduce new problems into the mix.

Do you expend 100 hours of work into gaining a couple of knots? Probably not unless that is what you really enjoy and you have lots of time on your hands.
 
Yup, understand. At some point it works well enough and is reliable. If you leave it alone, it should continue to function that way...

Tinkering more cuts into your flying time and can introduce new problems into the mix.

Do you expend 100 hours of work into gaining a couple of knots? Probably not unless that is what you really enjoy and you have lots of time on your hands.

Yes, at this point I am going to try and find my manometer to test come cowl pressure just for my own curiosity and may be install a couple extra cam loc across the top of my cowl at the firewall end. I think I only have 6 may be 7 and probably should have install more. for one, I had not really thought about the negative pressure area there in addition to the (potentially) excessive positive pressure in the cowl.
 
engine compression and speed testing

Since I have about 130 hours of flying the engine pretty hard I decided to do a compression check.

In short the numbers were very good. Virtually unchanged since I started the project.

These numbers are +/- 3-4 lbs

Compression check 10/19/2020
#4 238
#3 224
#2 225
#1 230

Compression Check 4-14-22
#1. 225#
#2. 226#
#3 223#
#4. 230#

I usually run about 4500 RPM. While I have a turbo, I rarely get in to boost as I have a fixed pitch prop that is limited to 22 degrees of pitch.

Speed. I did some more testing and right now with myself imposed max RPM limit at 5000 - which results in a PROP RPM of 2145 I see 150MPH. I still have the 600x 6 tires and no gear or leg fairings. I am good with that.

I have done oil testing on the engine and gearbox and all is well so far.
 
Update

I do get questions once in a while how things are going.

They are going well. I have about 140 hours so far and no big issues.

I came across a good buy on a used inflight adjustable pitch prop from IVO. I have not flown yet. It is a 3 blade 70" magnum model. The prop is used but in excellent condition. I found one blade was 2 grams off so I balanced that up. I sent the motor to IVO to have it rebuilt.

I have been using a 72" HP warp drive prop. I have been very happy with the Warp, but it just is not quite enough prop for me. They have a max pitch of 22 degrees and I can easily run over my self induced max RPM of 5000 with it. Of course since it is a ground adjustable pitch prop, I am down to less than 20 in MAP at 10000ft. My top speed with the Warp Drive is 150mph at that altitude. So I am very interested to see what 35 inches of MAP at 9500 feet will add to my top end. Many of you will remember reading I am not focused on high speed machine, but I am also planning to sell this plane and I know top speed will be of interest to prospective owners. (I want to build again - imagine that!?)

(Yes, I am familiar with IVO. Some have had very good success some have not.)

I hope to fly in the next few weeks and of course I will report my findings, good or bad.
 
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Uodate new prop and new radiator

Just sort of an update.

I have several hours on the inflight adjustable IVO Magnum 3 blade prop. I have gained - about - 10 mph. I can touch 160mph at 5100 rpm and 32 inches of MAP. This is with 9amps on the pitch adjustment which is probably giving me about 28 degrees of pitch. It is only 70.5" in diameter. Wish it was 72" -74" but I am happy with it so far.

I also developed some pesky minimal leaks in the radiator. This was a custom radiator that I had made to fit my cowl and still be "straight" in the airflow. I decided to see how an OEM radiator for that engine would fit. I liked the idea of having a radiator that was not custom so if I ever had to replace it, I could do that easily at minimal cost and down time.

Turns out the OEM radiator fit quite nicely in my radiator cowl.

I put the plane up for sale for $54k. See the add in the classifieds.

Thanks for all the encouragement and support. At over a quarter of a million views for this thread, is quite remarkable for sure.

Charlie Rosenzweig
 

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Glad the IVO worked out for you. It confirms what I've seen many times on various aircraft- FP props and turbos don't play together so efficiently, especially if you are going high.

It was an interesting journey to follow. Thanks for all your posts!

The IVO looks better on there too...
 
I am in the process of putting together a race car. It is a Mini Cooper, however we are swapping in a K24z7 motor. That seems like a good Normally Aspirated option. They are plentiful and inexpensive with tons of aftermarket support and proven reliable. Out of the box, it is rated at 205hp @7krpm. A few minor mods (that you would probably do anyway to get in the cowl) will take it to 220-230hp. Derate it to 75% and you have 172hp. The version we have is all drive-by-wire, but that is easy enough to change.
 
New radiator and modified cooling scoop

I ended up having to replace my original radiator. It developed a few pesky little leaks and it was not repairable.

Since the last radiator was custom made and quite expensive, I decided to change to using the radiator that was made for this engine. I really liked the idea that the OEM radiator would make any future radiator replacement a snap.

But what would it take to fit my existing belly scoop?

As you can imagine, I virtually HAD to lay it almost flat to fit in the existing belly scoop. By all standards this is a terrible idea as it required the air stream to turn about 80 degrees to go through the flat radiator. But since this radiator was only 1 inch thick I decided the resistance to airflow was worth giving it a go.

My first run was not good. It overheated.

So I decided to add another inlet to the scoop that was below the existing scoop. The new opening was 18" x 2". I also added a bit more baffling so the airflow was deflected towards the radiator and not up in to the area where the radiator hoses and fuel pump were.

SUCCESS. I had all the cooling I needed. It was 74F degrees and I could do a max climb out at 35 inches of MAP and it never got above 195F.

Then I decided to do a top speed run. I cannot see any appreciable reduction in speed. May be 3 mph.

So there you have it. Experimental aviation in the true sense of the word.
 

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Been a great read for years!

Charlie,

Glad the new rad and scoop worked for you. This has been a fun thread to follow for years. Your innovation is inspiring!
 
For those of you who enjoy the building part of this hobby, especially the engine side of things, I thought I would post a link to a short video I made of my "alternative" engine set up. It is Honda R18 Civic engine. 1.8L. https://youtu.be/7iHC4tpZxq4

[SNIP] Feel free to ask questions.

Charlie Rosenzweig Longview, Wash.
WOW! From Aug 2009 to 2023, over 13 years. I came into the thread late and aske how goes it, and you replied. Your thread is a great insight into the alternative / automotive engine choice, and some of the skills and tenacity it takes to make it happen. Congratulations on a job well done. We all learn so much as building teaches, and thank you for sharing your experience.

Just sort of an update. I put the plane up for sale for $54k. See the add in the classifieds.
Charlie Rosenzweig
That is a great price. I looked at Barnstormers for grins, yours is the least expensive RV I have seen in a long time. Sorry to see you sell your bird. Understand sometimes you you have to part ways. I have too much stuff and in process of selling some of my good stuff. I want to own things to enjoy and not be owned by too many things. All the best.

Before you sign off on this thread could you share some of the metrics, empty weight, top/cruise speeds, fuel flow with the final mods?
 
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Thanks

Tommy, George, Pete,

Thank you for all the kind words. It has been a lot of fun and very rewarding. The number of views (284k can you believe that?!) on this thread reveal there is a lot of interest in this type of project.

I went in to this with eyes wide open and willing to share the good the bad and the ugly. I am VERY lucky I have an understanding wife. She knows the risk but she would rather me do what I enjoy, then just sit home and mow the grass.

Someone MUCH smarter to me once said "Its not how you die that counts, its how you live!"

My original empty weight was 1037lbs. I think. Then I added heavy retread 6 inch tires, a heavier prop and some other stuff and I think I am now at 1145.

My top speed is 155mph at 35" of MAP at 10k ft and 5000rpm. I do not have a fuel flow meter but my WAG is between 5 gph to about 8gph at top speed. I run it at 12:1 Air/Fuel most of the time. A good wide band fuel mixture meter is ESSENTIAL to a set up like this. So is a flawless - easy to use - ECM like the SDSEFI EM5 that has a fuel mixture knob on the dash.

Not sure what else may be of interest of anyone.

Would I do it again? In a heart beat!
 
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SOLD Goodbye and thanks.

I sold N327WC yesterday to a great guy in Dayton OH. K which I think was vary fair). I have encouraged him to comment here as he has plans to continue to improve the airplane.

I don't want to provide his name as I don't have his permission to do that.

On a final closing note. I saw 165mph on my 10k flight to Dayton. That was at full pitch and 5100rpm at 32 inches of MAP. Still with no leg fairings, no wheel plants and the additional radiator scoop. I would love to try a 74" diameter prop as I know this would increase top end and get me into MAP that I really should be like 40"MAP. Oh well.

I have videos of the panel to show those numbers if anyone wants a copy of that pm me - I don't think they are too large to email.

I am excited to build again. I have another unmentioned brand of airplane in the works.

Thanks again.

Good bye. I will check PM for a few months.

Charlie Rosenzweig
Magnolia KY
 
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What I know and don't know.

I appreciate the everyone has avoided speculating what the cause of the crash was, I hope that continues to be the case. I have waited to post here because I honestly did not know much more than what I have read in the news reports.

I had taken the new owner up for a demo flight a bit over a week ago. I really like the new owner. He is a great guy and I consider him a great new friend. We have talked after the crash and nothing changes that.

I know the news reports the plane experience "engine failure". Please recognize the significant difference between "engine failure" and "loss of power". They are certainly not the same. At this point no one knows if the engine played a direct role in the loss of power. We will eventually learn what caused it to lose power.

Here is what I know. I sold it on Monday and it has been running excellent. The deliver flight was up 10k feet and lasted about 1.9 hours. All systems were operating excellent. I had flown it for about 150 hours since new and about 30 hours in the last 12 months.

The new pilot flew it a few hours after the purchased on Monday. He called me early Tuesday and said it flew great and loved it.

On Tuesday night shortly before 9pm from the air force ELT center reported the ELT had gone off 14 minutes ago putting the crash at roughly 8:40pm. (I had a 406mhz elt with a dedicated GPS receiver on it.) I learned a few hours later the plane had gone down and the pilot was injured but OK.

It was not until tonight that the new owner was able to call me; he had lost his phone during the crash and just got it back. I was grateful to hear he was OK. (He had been injured but is going to be fine).

He said he had been flying Tuesday for a while and everything was going great. He reported a loss of power and when he learned he could not make an airport, he looked for the best place to land. The rural roads had too many wires across them so he chose a field.

I want to say that I think he did a super job of getting the plane down given the circumstances. The field he landed it was reported to have been recently plowed. He said during the roll out the nose wheel eventually dug in to the soft dirt and the plane slowly tipped over. I had installed the anti-splat nose fork bar and based on the poor grainy photos on the net, it looks like it worked exactly as designed. It kept the nose gear leg mostly straight which in my belief helped to make that tip over event slow and not abrupt. I would HIGHLY recommend RV-XA planes install them. I also believe the larger 6 x 6.00 tires were very helpful in keeping it upright as long as it did on the soft dirt.

Thew new pilot had full insurance coverage. The insurance company is reported to be picking up the plane today.

I am not at all upset at the new buyer at all. I choose to focus on the fact that I experienced great build and wonderful rewarding flights N327WC.

I have not talked with the FAA but I hope I can talk with them soon. Some of the information here is based on my discussions with people who were on scene of the crash site.
 
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The EM-5 and CPI-2 ECUs do not log data internally, can only log to a Windows device through a data cable if so equipped.

We're ready to work with the NTSB if contacted about the ECU.

The EM-6 will offer full time data logging to an SD card.
 
The EM-5 and CPI-2 ECUs do not log data internally, can only log to a Windows device through a data cable if so equipped.

We're ready to work with the NTSB if contacted about the ECU.

The EM-6 will offer full time data logging to an SD card.

Thanks. I appreciate the reply. That does make sense but darn it, it would would have been nice to have that data. Oh well.
 
Ntsb seems to indicate that the fuel tanks were dry. Airplane was delivered with a total of 13 gal and pilot made 2 flights prior to the accident flight. John Denver all over again...
 
Cause of loss of power

I have read the NTSB prelim report.

https://www.ntsb.gov/Pages/ResultsV2.aspx?queryId=413f47fe-b04e-4628-bc9b-77829eaae75a

Sad story for sure. I really like the guy who bought the plane. I have talked with him since the accident. I am very glad he was not seriously injured. I am also glad that he had insurance. I obviously would have enjoyed seeing that plane continue to work as well for him, as it did for me. It flew perfect on the day before the crash when I delivered it to him.

The damage to the plane was significant. It certainly is not rebuildable in any sense. He landed in a freshly plowed field. After a short roll it tipped over on its top. I see the NTSB noted in the prelim report that they retained the engine, but I am not sure if they are going to do any more work on the case or not. Ill check on the NTSB website occasionally to see what the final report says.

On a side note, I did get a call the night of the crash from the Air Force noting the ELT had triggered. Also, the "roll bar" did its job well and he was able to kick his way out of the canopy. Also having 6.00 x 6 tires helped too, and they were Wilkerson retread tires which are bullet proof. I did have an antisplat on the front nose gear leg and I do think that help a lot as he reports the plane tipped over slowly after the tires dug in to the fresh dirt.
 
Bought the plane at auction

I thought I would share with folks that I bought the wreckage of my plane back at auction. I did this for 2 reasons. I wanted to take a good look at the engine and there were parts on it that I could use for my current build. (A Cruzer).

Most of you who are interested in this project know that the NTSB found the plane fuel tanks dry. Sad but true.

I had a guy who has followed this thread contact me with a desire to buy the engine and basically FWF. He was primarily wanting the PSRU. After much discussion, I decided not to break open the engine. The new buyer wanted to do that. I only took the sparkplugs out and rotated the engine. The plugs looked perfect. The oil looked clear and the PSRU oil looked good. No indication of what would have caused an engine failure.

I am not mentioning the new owner of the engine because he has not given me permission to do so and he is not using it on a Vans plane.

I do not write this to speak badly of the new owner. Simply to put some information out that is directly related to the engine build on the plane.

Thanks to all who have supported and contributed to the thread.
 
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