WAM 120

prkaye · #1 08-25-2006, 08:52 AM

I've been in contact with them at Wilkshe Airmotive to ask about their RV-9 installation they advertised they were working on (Wilkshe is making a diesel engine for aircraft).
Apparently there is one RV-9A ready to fly, just waiting for paperwork, and another about a month away from being ready. Just wondering if anyone knows the builders of these aircraft, of if they use this forum? I'd be very interested in reading more about their installations, and results.

Pilottonny · #2 08-25-2006, 10:33 AM

I was very interested in these engines also and I specially went to the PFA Rally in Kemble, UK to get some inside info and see some planes.
Because the weather was so bad I could not fly, so I drove 1.200 km to find out that Wilksch was not even there! No planes, no engines, not even a sales rep! After I got back, I sent them an email asking them about this, but so far not even a reply!

No change on their website either for the last year or so! I gues we may forget Wilksch like we may forget about Zoche.

Tonny Tromp

sporran · #3 08-25-2006, 12:10 PM

G-EGBS is a RV-9A being built by a syndicate at Shobdon in the UK with a WAM120. Last update I had was they were well into the cowl (May 06). One of the group is a guy David Johnstone, I'm pretty certain they don't subscribe to this forum, however.

A downside of a WAM, IMHO, is the cowl looks awful (needs to be to let them radiators breathe).

If I hear more I'll let you know. As for "ready to fly", pinch of salt probably... but I'd love to be proved wrong.

Richard

prkaye · #4 08-25-2006, 12:34 PM

thanks for that information, Richard. Please do let me know if you hear anything further about this.

Dave_Boxall · #5 08-27-2006, 12:31 AM

The two installations nearing readiness for flight are one in Coventry UK (probably still a few weeks away) and one at Sheffield UK (just awaiting paperwork before test flight).

The Wilklsch comes fitted with a "chin mounted" cooling pack (Radiator & intercooler) and the air requirement for the cooling pack plus the very different form factor of the Wilksch inverted in-line engine and a Lycoming make producing an attractive cowling a challenge.

The Coventry aircraft has the intercooler moved to the top of the firewall and the radiator still chin mounted. The Sheffield aircraft has the intercooler and radiator mounted on the engine mount at the rear of the aircraft and has a relatively conventional looking cowling, but at the price of a more complex installation.

The third installation is to hang the engine & cooling pack as delivered by Wilksch onto the engine mount and cowl that. A group in Shobdon UK has a cowl to fit that installation which looks OK.

I have a WAM-120 sat on the floor of my hangar in Bath UK. I'm wiring the firewall at the moment & hope to hang the engine in a week or so. I'm going for the simple installation with the Wilksch cooling pack (the Shobdon way). I suspect that both the Shobdon installation & mine will be flying early next year.

Wilksch have 20+ engines delivered and are slowly trickling out experimental engines while they investigate the best way of entering certified volume production.

Dave

Pilottonny · #6 08-27-2006, 01:48 PM

Dave,

You seem to have better contacts with Wilksch than I have. Wilksch let me know by E-mail, a couple of months ago, that they were going to attend the PFA rally with at least one or two Wilksch equipped RV's. So far, I still did not receive any reply to why they where not there after all. I spoke to one other very disappointed person at the rally and assume that there were a lot more people that went to the event specially to see the WAM120 and 160 engines.

Also I was going to receive a regular newsletter by E-mail, keeping me up to date about their developments. So far I have only received the November 2005 issue !!
It was Marc Wilksch himself who convinced me to go for the RV9 with a WAM120 or WAM160 engine, during the last Aero at Friedrichshafen. Also last year at the PFA rally he specially ran-up his WAM120 engine, in his Thorpe, that he flew to the rally, for me. But....... now I have heard that he is no longer with the company??

Are the aircraft you are talking about, when they fly, going to be collectors items soon??

I would like to hear what is going on with Wilksch, because I will have to decide about an engine in the near future.

Regards, Tonny

Dave_Boxall · #7 08-28-2006, 05:30 AM

Tonny

If you are serious about buying an engine for your RV I suggest you call them and talk with Martin Long.

I think that the transition from a small R&D organisation to an approved production organisation is a difficult one and may take some time. Martin assures me that their investor group is committed to certified production of the WAM-120 engine and development of the 160 hp version.

I doubt that the two RV's about to fly will be collectors items - there are 20 engines with customers now - and I really think that there will be a lot more of them flying in the first half of next year.

Dave

prkaye · #8 08-28-2006, 06:52 AM

Hey Dave,
Thanks for the info! Do you, or any of the other RV/WAM people have a builders website with photos, and/or a discussion of the installation?
I'd be really curious to see what some of these cowlings look like, and what other modifications have had to be made for the WAM engines (any changes to the fuel system at all?)
Thanks!
Phil

Dave_Boxall · #9 08-29-2006, 03:07 AM

I'm not aware of any builder site, but I do intend to document my installation for the benefit of future installers. At some stage I will put it on the web.

The WAM engine needs a fuel return line (like an injected engine). We fitted an andair duplex valve. it also needs a standard low pressure fuel pump - we installed a facet pump like a carburetted engine. there is also a small issue with the fuel tanks. Typically jet a1 tanks are "through flow vented" to blow air through the tank vapour space to keep the vapour concentration in the air below explosive levels. The PFA have accepted that "through flow vented" thaks are not necessary if capacitive fuel senders are fitted (there is a risk of resistive senders making sparks).

So if you wish to keep youir options open to install a Wilksch engine then fit a fuel return line & capacitance fuel gauges! (also don't fit anything to the forward side of the firewall yet)

Dave

Pilottonny · #10 08-29-2006, 08:36 AM

Dave,

I understood that diesel and JetA1 have explosion levels far higher than Avgas or Mogas. That is one of the reasons why it is a lot safer (it will take a lot higher temperatures before it will ignite or before the vapours will explode) Why should the tanks be vented differently? Before I started building my tanks, I contacted Wilksch and they told me to install return lines (which I was assuming, because diesel cars also have return lines), but no mention of special venting of the tanks.

I also contacted Vans about using diesel. They confirmed that the fuel senders and proseal can be used with diesel or JetA1.

Regards, Tonny.