Baz Mayne wrote:

                    Following Don Dunbars comments on using the rotary.

The Cobra Co. are

          fitting brand new Renesis engines ( RX8) They are aiming for

reliable,

          economical 165 HP.

                    Not quite there yet but getting closer. I am

building the Arrow and have

          a site on their web www.tomair.com.au under discussion boards

then builders

          forum.

                    Cheers
                    Baz Mayne

               What are they using for a PSRU Baz? IMHO the Renesis is

reliable at 240

          HP.

               If you want economy you can always throttle back.

               Paul Lamar

          Baz,
          How much was the kit Baz - I spoke to the chap at Cobra and he

didn't know

          that much about Mazda's when I spoke to him. The last I heard

he was working

          with Leon in Sydney

          Advice to me was he was someone who needs to be watched as he

hasn't been in

          the aircraft building game for long.
          Who knows how or where that comes from, perhaps professional

jealousy.

          George (down under)

     Oh oh we are in trouble now :) You and I George are among the few

people on here

     that have actually met Leon.

     Paul Lamar

Here is an email I got from the designer:

Hi Hans

Thanks for the info
I am still having a little trouble with the site as far as the FAQ'S

seems some little smart kid in the USA crashed the server and they had
thousands of site with problems I have tried to rectify it but will need to
have another go at , as for the forums you will need to register to get in I
have only had one guy who had some problems logging into the forum and once
he registered all was ok it could be because the forum uses php format ,

but as far as the kit costs it sells here at $42,850.00 aud you would

need to subtract 10% as tax is not applic if exported , the freight costs
vary we have found it easier to arrange freight from the USA rather than
here , it will fit into a 20" container easily even maybe get 2 inside .

As for the rotary engine well its a bloody ripper Aussie slang for very

good , we have the mounts, cooling system, exhaust, new manifold, our own
re-drive, our own constant speed prop , the engine will produce 237 shaft hp
at 6000 rpm this equates to 165 at the prop flange it also burns at full
continuous power 27 litres of fuel phr or in cruise mode around 22 litres ,
all our engines are new ex factory non salvaged engines directly from Japan
we still strip and check every engine they are given an ID for trace ability
and are dyno run with performance sheets supplied , I will be looking to fly
the first 2 of our rotary powered aircraft within the next 4 weeks so this
will be a very exciting time for me , the calculated speed of the aircraft
should be around 205 knots so it will be very interesting to see the outcome
.

At this point we do not have any agents in the USA although we hope to

start on the US market very soon

Thanks for your enquiry Regards Tommy

"237 HP at 6000 RPM equates to 165 at the prop flange"?  "27 liters (7GPH)

per hour at full

power"?  This guy is an idiot or an out and out liar. Sounds like a scam.

I would not

give him any of my money. "295 Kts (236 MPH)"?  Why is it that rotaries

attract the charlatans?

It just seems like so many of them are Aussies. Must be left over genes

from prison colony

days :) Either that or they think Americans are stupid.

Good luck Baz.

Paul Lamar

Wow!, seems like I've opened a can of worms.
Here's what I know, the PSRU is from NZ ( after trying a few others.)
Cobra Aviation has been around since about 2000 and are located in
Melbourne, about 300 miles from me. I went to the factory prior to buying
the kit, which is a bit on the pricey side but the moulds are pretty good
quality and considering that delivery is free, together with the fact that
it's only a days round trip to go there if I want anything its very
convenient. I don't believe Tommy is a con artist but is prone to exagerate
performance figures. I am anticipating a cruise speed of around the 135 to
140 knots which should be achievable. I have purchased the kit but not the
engine or firewall forward as yet. I have a fixed price on that part of the
kit but won't be ordering it until I am completely satisfied that all the
bugs are ironed out. I built a Zenith Zodiac HDS last time and did the R & D
for the installation of the Jabiru 3300.  That took 2 years to sort out and
I don't want to do that again. My knowledge of rotaries is fairly limited
and some of the data on this site is beyond my comprehension but I am
learning.
George asks for my opinion of the kit. Quality is fairly good, especially
the moulds but the instruction manual is very vague with some parts not
supplied. I would not recommend it to a first time builder.
Who is Leon, and what's his claim to fame ? Is this something I should know
about?
I think I will have a chat with George off site.

Keep up the terrific info

Baz ( down in the colonies )

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