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Engine and Prop combo

B

blincaviation

Member
So Im looking at my "mission" and would say it's going to be split 50/50 cross country with my wife and aerobatics alone, hopefully one day at a competitive level. (clearly wanting to relive my military days...lol)

My question is what would be the best engine/ prop combo to achieve both? should i be looking at a constant speed prop or sticking with a fixed pitch? Would a fuel injected engine be better than a carb?

Finally, what about HP, do i need 200 plus or would a Lycoming 320 do the job?

I don't want to be in a position in a few years when i wished i had made a different decision, but l also don't have a limitless budget!

Sorry if this seems like a really basic question but this is the start of what i hope will be an exciting journey for me!
 
To me the price difference, in the grand scheme of things, between a fuel injected and a carborated engine is low enough to make it worth while to just get the injected engine. It would also really help with aerobatics.

A local owner of an RV-8 told me that if I wanted to do much formation flying then a constant speed prop was the way to go for sure.

I'm curious what others think of horsepower. I'm planning on an engine that will net out somewhere around 205hp.. but I'm very curious to find out what's needed in practice.
 
Another never ending debate topic. I did what Vans recommended for aerobatics. 180hp injected and Hartzell composite CS prop. In my limited experience the controls of an RV8 are not “harmonized”. It is much heavier in pitch than roll. Adding more weight up front can’t help. I fly with 60 pounds of back seat ballast.
 
IO-360-M1B with carbon fiber CS prop.
Lightweight relative to PV 360 and carbon fiber prop helps with that lighter nose as well. You gain useful load for xcountry plus benefits of local loops. I went with the heavy duty WW 330-3B, which adds a bit of more weight I wanted but at 50lbs including CF cone, it’s a great bang for the buck. Less weight if you go 2 blade version.
 
I’ve flown formation in a FP IO-360 without any issues. It’s a ground adjustable style tuned to “super cruise” and I have no trouble catching up or rejoining. Aerobatics also are totally fine with it. I’ve flown in both an FP and CS in these situations and although the CS is nice the FP works too.

Oh and cross country is 75% power 160TAS plus all day long all the way up to 16,000ft DA (but much less % power of course) weighing about 1500lbs. Then it will taper to about 150TAS as you go higher and finally around 100TAS at 21,000ft but not very useful at that point with a low indicated airspeed and higher AOA.
 
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Thanks everyone, I know theres lots of personal preference with a thread like this but its comforting to see opinions don't differ too much! I'm certainly going to be going fuel injected and will no doubt end up with an inverted oil system to boot. Now the question is whether to put in a smoke system too....lol.

On the topic of the engine, is there any literature regarding best ignition system (PMag etc) for the IO360 or is that again a matter of choice? does the mission have any role to play in this or not?

thanks again for any and all advice!

D
 
I think ignition is really up to your own opinion. You can use magnetos like most certified planes have been using for decadds, and newer electronic ignitions are becoming more and more popular. With those you’ll need to consider backup power though. Some of them, I think PMags, have generators built in to handle that - others, like the Lightspeed, need backup electrical systems.

I think @vic syracuse likes one magneto and one electronic ignition. I am planning on using dual Lightspeed ignitions in my build on an IO-375 (a beefed up IO-360). You have lots of options for ignition though, and I’m curious what others think!
 
As a former acro competition Pilot I vote for an aerobatic C/S prop (Hartzell, MT, Whirlwind, Hoffmann), a flop tube in the tank that you choose for acro flight. Competition requires extended level inverted time, this requires the counter weighted aerobatic prop and a fuel injected engine (unlike a carbed engine, FI will run inverted if there is a supply of fuel) with inverted oil system (Christen) . A fixed pitch can be used, if you expect to be competitive, with a FP prop you will need to live with some overspeeds (just like the S1 Pitts guys...they expect RPM in the 3000 range. Electronic ignition on one mag on the other. The EI will let you run " Lean of Peak" going to and coming home from a contest. EI will not increase power to any real extent while doing acro because there, in most systems, is no advance above 24 inches of manifold pressure.
 
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IO-360-M1B parallel valve180hp with C/S is popular.
Angle valves are more hp but also more weight on the nose and more $$$

New there’s a negligible difference in price between a 320 and a parallel valve 360. Unless you’re getting screaming deal there’s no reason to put a 320 on it. Resale value 320 FP are at the bottom of the heap.

Now that Hartzell is supposedly doubling prices a BA C/S prop may be well north of 20k and a composite will be big $$$. That combined with already high engine prices and an angle valve 360 or 390 would be even bigger $$$.

I don’t think you’d be unhappy with a 180hp 360 and a c/s or Catto FP prop. It’s really the middle of the road and all around combo. You’re probably going to spend 15k+ more on a c/s over the Catto. 15k buys A LOT of gas.

Personally I’d only chose angle valve with more HP if I flew from a lot of high DA areas.
 
Miss Claire is set up with a IO-360 A1B6 Lycoming 200HP, fuel injection, lightspeed electronic ignition and constant speed 3 blade Whirlwind prop. I have over 1,000 hours on this set up and feel it is absolutely perfect . I fly acro frequently, have flown for two seasons with the Bandit Flight Team and have also done lots of cross country trips. IMHO ........ a minimum of 180HP, constant speed composite prop, fuel injection, and electronic ignition is a must. I would not waste money on an inverted oil system. I easily solved the CG problem of the heavier engine by locating the battery behind the aft baggage compartment and using an Earth X battery. I've flown this configuration for 19+ years and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing !
I'm the guy on the left...........Banditflight 7-16.png
 
IO-360 with a Whirlwind RV300 Constant Speed. You want the injection and extra power for sure. The constant speed is kind of a no brainer for aerobatics, and the 3 blade prop helps both with mitigating acceleration on the downline, and better climb/penetration on the way up. It also sounds way cool for those runway inspection passes.

I saw zero net loss in cruise performance going from a WW200 2 blade to the WW300 3 blade, but takeoff and climb improved appreciably. If I remember correctly, the WW300 only weighs around 30-35 lbs with spinner. Go with a rear mounted battery as it really helps with control harmony when solo.
 
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