claycookiemonster
Well Known Member
I’m just back from the Aero Sport Power build school that ran from September 20 thru 22, 2022. Over the course of two days, I built an IO-375-M1S for my RV-8. I wanted to write this up while it was fresh in my mind.
My first and simplest bit of advice: do this! Find a way. Make it happen. If you’re already building an airframe, why wouldn’t you build the engine? Unless you’ve already built so many IO-3XX engines that you’re bored with it, you will be educated and amazed. Trust me.
For a variety of reasons, including the fact that my project was originally begun in Canada, I contacted Aero Sport Power about an engine order. I communicated at length with their salesman, Darren, about all the options before sending in the deposit check. Then he mentioned the possibility of attending the Build School if COVID protocols permitted. The world finally calmed down, and so it happened.
Upon arrival at ASP on Day 1, you will be met by your mechanic/mentor and brought through the warren of their operation to your very own build room. Every single component for your specific engine will be waiting for you, carefully laid out on a cart. My mechanic, Tammy, explained how it would go. She would show me the next step, and demonstrate the first item to be done, whether it was installing one of the main bearings or compressing the rings on a piston to insert it into the cylinder barrel, and then I would do the rest. She would hand me the torque wrench, already set correctly, and fasteners as we went, and then she’d check all the torques after I was done. And it came together blazingly fast. Bearings on case halves and connecting rods. Counterweights on the crank. Camshaft and sealant and thread on case halves, and before the coffee was cold, the case was standing up on the bench with rods extending from the cylinder openings. And, I did 3/4’s, or 5/6’s or 7/8’s of it. She did the first one, and I did the rest. The Lubriplate was there. The Locktite was there. Nuts, bolts and washers were there. The odd twisted wrenches to torque the cylinder barrels in place were ready. Building an engine this way is FAR easier than that **** trim tab! Because I wasn’t alone.
At points along the way, the assembly would stop, and Tammy would call in another mechanic to check how we were doing. They’d confirm our torques by resetting the wrench themselves and clicking everything we’d just done. They’d eyeball everything, and sign it off as an observer in the same paperwork Tammy was completing as we went. There were a few things I didn’t want to do. I’m not very artful at safety wire, and so Tammy did all of it. It’s your choice.
Day 2 continued the same way. Rocker arms and push rods and starter and ignition systems and fuel lines go effortlessly into place. We timed the E-Mags until the green lights came on exactly right. By lunch, the shelves that had held all the parts were empty. It was shocking. I had built my engine.
The test run happened after lunch. This is not just a simple, “lets gas it up and see if it runs!” thing. My engine was carefully hoisted onto a mount on the back of a truck with a full set of engine instruments in the cab. Throttle and mixture controls were connected. This was a full installation. Oil was heated and added under pressure to make sure every nook and cranny was lubed.
It started the first time. Two full test runs were accomplished and all engine parameters are recorded at different power settings. The engine is filled with protective oil and a final check of all accessible fittings is completed before torque seal is applied. It will be prepared for storage and crated and should be in my garage within two weeks.
As to the logistics of Build School, the day begins at 8am and by 4:30pm of day 1 you will have done most of the assembly. There is a mid-morning 30-minute break at 10 and another 30-minute lunch at noon. Plan on bringing lunch, there is no cafeteria or restaurant near ASP. Depending on how the build is going, there may be another break in the afternoon. You will be standing all of the time while building, and there will be oil and grease and solvents. So, bring sturdy comfortable shoes that can accept spills. Ditto for clothes, especially your shirt. You do a lot of hugging of your engine as you build it. Wearing overalls wouldn’t be out of place, though none of the technicians did. You won’t likely need heavy work gloves, but you will spend quite a bit of time in rubber gloves to keep the Lubriplate away. If you have very small or very large hands, I’d suggest bringing your own. Eye and ear protection wouldn’t hurt.
Kamloops, British Columbia, is a beautiful area. ASP is on an airport, so flying yourself in is possible. There’s commercial service as well, but flights into Kamloops only seem to originate in Calgary or Edmonton. In the end, I drove from the Salt Lake area and enjoyed every mile of it. ASP will send you recommendations for local hotels, and unless you have a good reason to go elsewhere, I’d go where they recommend. You’ll get a great corporate rate. Kamloops is a medium sized town, and the hotel they suggest is only a 10-minute drive from the airport. There are plenty of walkable restaurants nearby.
And, Darren, the salesman I dealt with at the beginning of this saga? It turns out he’s built over 500 engine. He’s what we used to call the “MFWIC” in the Air Force. Trust him. I did. And now, just as I can remember seeing the wings and fuel talks coming together, I can also recall the heft of the crankshaft and the delicacy of bending the fuel lines between the spider and the injectors.
It was a fabulous experience, and I have zero regrets. It reinvigorated my build. Because now, the sooner I get done, the sooner I get to hear my engine run again. I can’t wait.
My first and simplest bit of advice: do this! Find a way. Make it happen. If you’re already building an airframe, why wouldn’t you build the engine? Unless you’ve already built so many IO-3XX engines that you’re bored with it, you will be educated and amazed. Trust me.
For a variety of reasons, including the fact that my project was originally begun in Canada, I contacted Aero Sport Power about an engine order. I communicated at length with their salesman, Darren, about all the options before sending in the deposit check. Then he mentioned the possibility of attending the Build School if COVID protocols permitted. The world finally calmed down, and so it happened.
Upon arrival at ASP on Day 1, you will be met by your mechanic/mentor and brought through the warren of their operation to your very own build room. Every single component for your specific engine will be waiting for you, carefully laid out on a cart. My mechanic, Tammy, explained how it would go. She would show me the next step, and demonstrate the first item to be done, whether it was installing one of the main bearings or compressing the rings on a piston to insert it into the cylinder barrel, and then I would do the rest. She would hand me the torque wrench, already set correctly, and fasteners as we went, and then she’d check all the torques after I was done. And it came together blazingly fast. Bearings on case halves and connecting rods. Counterweights on the crank. Camshaft and sealant and thread on case halves, and before the coffee was cold, the case was standing up on the bench with rods extending from the cylinder openings. And, I did 3/4’s, or 5/6’s or 7/8’s of it. She did the first one, and I did the rest. The Lubriplate was there. The Locktite was there. Nuts, bolts and washers were there. The odd twisted wrenches to torque the cylinder barrels in place were ready. Building an engine this way is FAR easier than that **** trim tab! Because I wasn’t alone.
At points along the way, the assembly would stop, and Tammy would call in another mechanic to check how we were doing. They’d confirm our torques by resetting the wrench themselves and clicking everything we’d just done. They’d eyeball everything, and sign it off as an observer in the same paperwork Tammy was completing as we went. There were a few things I didn’t want to do. I’m not very artful at safety wire, and so Tammy did all of it. It’s your choice.
Day 2 continued the same way. Rocker arms and push rods and starter and ignition systems and fuel lines go effortlessly into place. We timed the E-Mags until the green lights came on exactly right. By lunch, the shelves that had held all the parts were empty. It was shocking. I had built my engine.
The test run happened after lunch. This is not just a simple, “lets gas it up and see if it runs!” thing. My engine was carefully hoisted onto a mount on the back of a truck with a full set of engine instruments in the cab. Throttle and mixture controls were connected. This was a full installation. Oil was heated and added under pressure to make sure every nook and cranny was lubed.
It started the first time. Two full test runs were accomplished and all engine parameters are recorded at different power settings. The engine is filled with protective oil and a final check of all accessible fittings is completed before torque seal is applied. It will be prepared for storage and crated and should be in my garage within two weeks.
As to the logistics of Build School, the day begins at 8am and by 4:30pm of day 1 you will have done most of the assembly. There is a mid-morning 30-minute break at 10 and another 30-minute lunch at noon. Plan on bringing lunch, there is no cafeteria or restaurant near ASP. Depending on how the build is going, there may be another break in the afternoon. You will be standing all of the time while building, and there will be oil and grease and solvents. So, bring sturdy comfortable shoes that can accept spills. Ditto for clothes, especially your shirt. You do a lot of hugging of your engine as you build it. Wearing overalls wouldn’t be out of place, though none of the technicians did. You won’t likely need heavy work gloves, but you will spend quite a bit of time in rubber gloves to keep the Lubriplate away. If you have very small or very large hands, I’d suggest bringing your own. Eye and ear protection wouldn’t hurt.
Kamloops, British Columbia, is a beautiful area. ASP is on an airport, so flying yourself in is possible. There’s commercial service as well, but flights into Kamloops only seem to originate in Calgary or Edmonton. In the end, I drove from the Salt Lake area and enjoyed every mile of it. ASP will send you recommendations for local hotels, and unless you have a good reason to go elsewhere, I’d go where they recommend. You’ll get a great corporate rate. Kamloops is a medium sized town, and the hotel they suggest is only a 10-minute drive from the airport. There are plenty of walkable restaurants nearby.
And, Darren, the salesman I dealt with at the beginning of this saga? It turns out he’s built over 500 engine. He’s what we used to call the “MFWIC” in the Air Force. Trust him. I did. And now, just as I can remember seeing the wings and fuel talks coming together, I can also recall the heft of the crankshaft and the delicacy of bending the fuel lines between the spider and the injectors.
It was a fabulous experience, and I have zero regrets. It reinvigorated my build. Because now, the sooner I get done, the sooner I get to hear my engine run again. I can’t wait.