> Brett & Tiana Campbell wrote:

    Hi mike, as I understand it the single-rotor version of the

Mazda

rotary

is (thus far) not much lighter firewall-forward than the two-rotor,

which

hovers around 345-plus lbs f/f. (the same weight range as a

lycosaurus

0-320

installation). This is due to the larger (heavier) counterweight

req'd

for

the single-rotor, and that the weight savings achieved by getting

rid of

the

extra rotor and housing are not that much, since you still need all

of

the

peripheral components necessary for the two-rotor installation. The

good

news is that those developing the single- rotor are working to make

this

installation lighter. The only Skyraider I've seen up close was one

of

the

first, possibly the prototype. It was a single-seater using (I

think) a

2SI

2-stroke. Being a dyed-in-the-wool rotary engine geek I hesitate to
recommend anything that reciprocates, (the equivalent of blasphemy

in

this

newsletter) but have you considered the hirth line of two strokes?

Apparently (according to a recent Kitplanes editorial) they are

designed

to

not have the seizing problems normally associated with anything

(2-stroke)

Rotax, and the prices for both engine and replacement parts are

much

more

reasonable. The service department at Hirth is also stated to be

more

accountable and available as well. TBO figures are also encouraging,

at

least according to Kitplanes. If you do manage to get a single-rotor

to

work

in a Skyraider by all means share the joy with us! Hope this helps.
                        Brett Campbell,  Calgary AB, Canada.

Mike Pellegatti wrote:

      Thanks for your response. I have been working towards a Suzuki 1.0
liter,  3 cylinder modification when I stumbled on this info about

rotarys.

Already have the Suzuki but rotarys are intriguing and will pursue them
also.  Have heard that one person got a single rotary down to the 130 lb
weight category which would work in a Skyraider.
    I'm not too keen on the two stroke seizamatics. And, there is a

comment

board about Hirth engines compared to Rotax on another website that

doesn't

portray Hirth in a very favorable light.
http://www.ultralightnews.com/buz1/rtxhirt.html    Real negative

comments

from quite a few individuals. Everything from low TBO, bad cranks, bad
bearings, seizing, to no factory/service support in the US, and long

wait

times for parts.

Thanks

Mike Pellegatti
WildVisions, Inc.
Phoenix, Arizona
623-516-1975

Brett & Tiana Campbell wrote:

        Hello again Mike, the bad reports on Hirth engines are news to me,
but then again my only knowledge of them is based on the recent Kitplanes
(engine Beat) editorial, which casts them in a more favorable light. (makes
you wonder where Kitplanes got their info from...Hirth, perhaps?). A 130 lb
single rotor? Is that the entire firewall-forward weight or just the engine?

 
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