UL POWER w/ ELECTRIC CS PROP! ??? NEED IMPUT

[taverroi]

Guys, short and sweet.

I have an RV7A (NO Engine) and considering a UL 200HP plant w/an elec CS Wirlwind 3 Blade Prop instead of the tried and true Lycoming IO-360 w/Hartzell prop. I have to decide tomorrow!!!

I need any and all input you will give!!..Why should I not do it?..Or why should I?

The Lord declares that "There is Wisdom in a multitude of Counselors" I believe Him!

Where else but here can I get that on this topic!

Fire away, Im all ears!!

Tango

[titanhank]

After owning 44 airplanes and 6 helicopters, my advice is to order lycoming engine, protect your resell value and live happily ever. The ul engine looks nice, but it will be a one off install as of now and will kill the value of the plane going forward and will probably cost more to complete. The best thing about a lycoming is that no matter what podunk airport i land at, i can find a mechanic that can work on it and probably has most gaskets and parts in stock. I have seen a lot of engine companies come and go in 40 years, but lycoming is still here.

Good luck with your choice

[rv6ejguy]

Seems from your impressive RVs owned list that you've flown enough Lycomings for a lifetime. Maybe it's a good time to try a different engine flavor if you're not planning on doing a bunch of aerobatics.

I say the UL will make things different and more interesting/ challenging and maybe that would be a good thing after all those other Lyco RVs.

RVs and most other aircraft are not great investment return vehicles, they're to enjoy and have fun with.

[rockwoodrv9]

My thought is if you have to make that decision by tomorrow, then any decision you make you will second guess yourself forever.

Good luck.

[David Paule]

I concur with Rocky and Titenhawk. If you have to decide that quickly take a conservative approach to it.

Frankly, I don't see an upside to the UL/electric prop choice. And if there are any, it would have already manifested itself across our community.

Dave

[N941WR]

If the decision is difficult to make, then it is the wrong decision.

[DanH]

I assume you've spoken with Ray Lawrence? Offhand, Ray is the only guy I know with ULPower on an RV. 478-232-9560

[6 Gun]

How bout if you want a 6 cylinder stuffing a Lycoming in there with really low compression pistons were your making around 220 hp and you can burn any octane auto gas or 100LL and still have a super reliable engine.

[Chkaharyer99]

Originally Posted by rv6ejguy

... Maybe it's a good time to try a different engine flavor if you're not planning on doing a bunch of aerobatics...

From their website: http://ulpower.com/en/engines/ul520/ul520isa

"The UL520iSA is the ultimate aerobatics engine.
A modified engine casing, oil sump and oil pick up system, designed by our very own ULPower team, and an additional inverted oil system allows the ULPower engines to fly inverted.

This inverted oil system copes with potential greasing issues. The oil pick-up tube in the oil sump is mounted with a hinge joint. While climbing or diving up to an angle of 90?, the oil pump can pick up the oil from the sump without any problem.
The oil inverted valve can change the pick-up direction while climbing or inverted flying, this means that the oil is coming from the top of the engine casing (which is now the lowest point). The large (but light) ?oil air breather? prevents the oil from leaving the engine.

The fuel injection system (instead of carburetor) prevents the engine from stopping or losing fuel when flying inverted.
IMPORTANT REMARK: modification in your fuel tank is needed to prevent engine from sucking air.

Thanks to our electronic RPM limiter, ULPower engines can fly inverted for hours and hours without danger of over-running.

Oil capacity : Oil sump must be filled with at least 4 liter oil (0.US gal)."



I sure would like to hear more about the ULpowered RV-4

[airguy]

They list their maximum power at 3300 rpm - well above what most props are rated for.