DanFrazer
Active Member
I haven't. I ordered at end of April 2023 and Anne let me know recently they aren't expecting to ship my powerplant kit until July this year.
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Engine, Prop and Avionics Update posted
- Thread starter Brantel
- Start date
Just thought I'd let you folks know that I made my final engine payment to Van's, and they have received and acknowledged it. They've said they plan to transfer all the funds to Lycoming around April 1. This is the initial group of engines that received notifications, and is scheduled for production in April. I've spoken to Chris at Lycoming and he's confirmed this.
If that encourages anyone, so be it. I know there's a danger window here, but I just made the decision to trust. What else can we do?
If that encourages anyone, so be it. I know there's a danger window here, but I just made the decision to trust. What else can we do?
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thendricks
I'm New Here
Any update on your order? I need to order a Hartzell prop and I'm very reluctant to order through the Van's site.
“Nick Danger, Third Eye”
I ordered my engine on March 6, 2022 to beat the upcoming price increase, but told Lycoming I would not need the engine for at least a year. Looking back, that was a big mistake.
I just sent the full requested amount today, and am holding my breath that nothing else goes wrong on this deal.Did you order a TB or Standard 540?
It was the standard IO-540.
Yes, I did the same - told Lycoming that I wasn't even close to needing it, so they could put me at the end of the line. I was so concerned about the warranty, which in the end probably won't ever be used.I ordered my engine on March 6, 2022 to beat the upcoming price increase, but told Lycoming I would not need the engine for at least a year. Looking back, that was a big mistake.
Good luck to you, and to all of us. Hopefully others in this group are making their payment, so Lycoming can get started.
Same here, though it was ordered beginning of February. And AFAIU the TBs are being built at a pretty sedate rate...March 6, 2022 to beat the upcoming price increase, but told Lycoming I would not need the engine for at least a year. Looking back, that was a big mistake.
I ordered my IO-390EXP Feb 23. Was originally told mine would arrive Nov23
Anne at Vans has been communicating with me. Just last week I was told this. 'They (assume Lycoming) are now beginning to start production and have told me the first few people to contact-(your name is not on that list yet ) but I don’t have the full schedule yet. It's a start but I hate when the carrot keeps dangling in front of me. Sorry to dangle it in front of this group too. You all share my anxiety on this thread. I did finish up my empennage vertical and horizontal stab fairing nut plate installation yesterday
took longer than expected but I'm in no true rush.
Anne at Vans has been communicating with me. Just last week I was told this. 'They (assume Lycoming) are now beginning to start production and have told me the first few people to contact-(your name is not on that list yet ) but I don’t have the full schedule yet. It's a start but I hate when the carrot keeps dangling in front of me. Sorry to dangle it in front of this group too. You all share my anxiety on this thread. I did finish up my empennage vertical and horizontal stab fairing nut plate installation yesterday took longer than expected but I'm in no true rush.Me too. Non-TB IO-390 EXP119. Ordered March 2022. Scheduled for May production.
Thanks for that update. (So my 3/2022 order for a TB IO-540 is probably a year out. Good to know.)
Almost same here... build schedule June, TB YO-360-A1A ordered 2/2022.
Man, for the good old days when a Mattituck Red/Gold shipped 6 months after deposit received. Oh and for 40K...
We were spoiled just a few years ago. Do feel sorry for folks starting in on this now, but once you get to flying, you'll soon realize what a wonderful machine Van designed for us.
Working on a Moose now, and lucky to have all the parts in hand except engine. The company has minimal and quite slow customer service, but luckily enough folks have come before I can usually find answers. Does make me appreciate the Van's support, even during these tough times! Keep banging away!
Phil
KBTF
Salt Lake City
RV-10 built/flying
Murphy Moose, building
We were spoiled just a few years ago. Do feel sorry for folks starting in on this now, but once you get to flying, you'll soon realize what a wonderful machine Van designed for us.
Working on a Moose now, and lucky to have all the parts in hand except engine. The company has minimal and quite slow customer service, but luckily enough folks have come before I can usually find answers. Does make me appreciate the Van's support, even during these tough times! Keep banging away!
Phil
KBTF
Salt Lake City
RV-10 built/flying
Murphy Moose, building
I'm in the first (April) group for my IO-540. I spoke to Chris Gayman of Lycoming at Sun 'n Fun and he looked up my engine specifically and it's scheduled to be finished and ready to ship (pick up) on April 26th. He said this means Van's has paid Lycoming a deposit, but not the whole amount as I thought I had been told had happened.
So, back to fingers crossed, but I think it's looking good. I'll report any further developments.
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Is that a Thunderbolt IO-540?
No, just a regular build.
Let us know when you get a definite ship date. 31 months for a TB 540 seems better than most but hopefully a good sign.
psvalentine
Active Member
I just received word my IO-540 ordered April 2023 is on the schedule for production April 2025. It was to be delivered Feb 2024 before we agreed to the reorder terms.
So 2 years.
Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a long wait.
Oh, that's right. No seats.
So 2 years.
Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a long wait.
Oh, that's right. No seats.
Non-thunderbolt?
psvalentine
Active Member
affirmative
Just found out from Vans that our Thunderbolt 540 ordered March 2022 is NOT on the schedule for 2024. It will be 2025 now. Hopefully not late 2025. Very disappointing. Also frustrating that I had to contact them to find this out. All this time I’ve been thinking…ok next month…ok next month.
I'm in the same boat. My RV10 is waiting on an engine. I ordered the same time as you did. Last month I called Barrett Precision Engines and they are building me the same engine. I'll have it in about 3 months. I really think it will be a better engine as they pay attention to detail and it will be ran on their dyno for 1 hour. It will be 85% broke in on arrival and they preserve it just in case it doesn't get installed for awhile. I saw someone posted the other day that their TB 540 came without the mag gears installed. I figure you will start seeing a lot of these type things happening.
BigBadBob
Active Member
Is the pricing comparable?
Received final payment request yesterday for RV-12iS Rotax 912iS. I have requested to delay the shipment as originally the finishing kit was supposed to be delivered several months prior, but obviously all the timelines got messed up and I don't have the finishing kit yet. I assume somebody out there will be happy to get their engine before me so I've asked Vans to move me back on the order fulfillment list.
Here's the email for reference:
Here's the email for reference:
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Wow that’s fast! Can you get out of the Vans deal now? Assuming you signed the ‘new deal’ with price increase that is.
psvalentine
Active Member
That's how I was feeling. It was due in Feb. of this year. So I just kept thinking in the next couple months. I had to write begging for information. The plane is complete except for the engine and the front seats. And we're not getting any younger. We're both in our upper 60's. Not that many good years left.
psvalentine
Active Member
Did you have to pay more for it from Barrett's than Van's.?
Just got my final payment request from Vans for Thunderbolt 360. Supposedly set for July. Ordered March 22. Fingers crossed!
Matt, Check your private messages.
Engine and order date is the same for me and I made the same inquiry last Friday. All they could tell me is that they "... currently have a view for the next few months and I don't see your TB engine scheduled just yet."
See post 415. Ordered Feb 2022 and assembly expected Sept 2024 for the TB540. Good luck, seat expectation similar lead time inconsistency.
In March of 2022 Van's prompted a wave of many, MANY orders by warning us of an impending Lycoming price hike. I wouldn't be surprised if those orders alone consume the better part of a year's TB production schedule.
psvalentine
Active Member
That was 2 years ago. Seems they've had time to get em done by now.
Also, a company with deep pockets like Lycoming should be able to expand to meet the demand.
You would think so but that has not happened.
As I understand it, Lycoming was really hosed by Covid as well. They continue to have supplier problems, and had a really tough time insourcing cylinder construction (a huge batch of cylinders was unusable).
Clearly Lycoming wasn’t meeting the timelines that Vans was given. Let’s admit it, Vans never projected delivery/wait times for engines without Lycoming telling them what to say.
you need to consider that experimental engines aren't there main lines. They have to fit them in where they can while still supplying major manufactures rolling our certified aircraft.
Given the relatively small number of new certified piston planes being delivered each year, I would think experimental engines sales would exceed certified. I think I recall seeing that Van's is Lycoming's biggest customer.
If my read of the registration database is right, there are 862 aircraft with a 2023 manufacture date using Lycoming engines. 111 appear to be RVs, of 244 total E-ABs. For comparison, 245 were Cessnas, 158 were Piper.
It's been stated by Lycoming that Van's is their number 1 customer. Maybe not as many engines as all certified customers combined (then again, maybe it is.)
I am at the exact point in my RV-14A build as you. I ordered mine Sep 22. I was told the same thing by Ann. She also told me that they have not renegotiated build schedule with Lycoming yet, but expect the builds to start in Jan 2025, I am more than 100 numbers back. She said that Lycoming can build 16-18 TB a month and Vans is the customer for 98% of them. I hope to get an exact delivery date once they have it.I ordered my IO-390EXP Feb 23. Was originally told mine would arrive Nov23
"Start in Jan 2025". Ann told you they are not going to build any TB engines for Vans customers until 1/2025? That's the first I have heard that, most disappointing. What are they doing with the remaining 8 months of 2024?
