Kelly Troyer wrote:

     George Graham, one of the early aviation rotary adopters, isn't on
the list so though I'd pass along his latest.  After 200+ hours, his
second Mazda manual transmission (2nd gear) PSRU
     stripped it's gears and he dead sticked safely on a road about 10
miles from Leesburg Fl yesterday.

     Tracy is building him a RD1A redrive !!

     Kelly Troyer

I am glad he is alive.

Paul Lamar

Archie wrote:

We can give him credit for quite an accomplishment, in following through
with his transmission redrive.
He was successful, although the gearbox did not follow suit.
Thank goodness he is OK, and in FL, inasmuch as Buffalo where he
is from, and we in the northeast are enjoying snow and freezing weather.
Archie

I don't see it that way Archie. The way I see it is yet another ill advised adaptation
of a part totally out of its intended use. You might say that about the rotary
and you could except it happens to be one of the very rare exceptions. Partly
because the rotary is not highly refined cost wise for use in automobiles. In 
other words the rotary is intrinsically robust as not enough bean counters 
have been at it long enough to reduce its cost and consequently its duty cycle.
The modern piston car engine on the other hand has just enough strength
and durability for its intended use as a car engine and no more.

In the mean time the rotary got another black eye in the eyes of the aviation
community.

Paul Lamar
 
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