Tim, Paul and all,
Here is a photo of a Mazda powered BD-5 in the Western Aerospace
Museum, Oakland, CA.
265 (or 285?) hp, they were never able to solve the cooling problems.
There is a rotary (Norton)
powered BD-5 in the US and another one in the UK. Alturair of San
Diego, CA has tried to develop
a single rotor rotary with aluminum castings but, to date, I don't think
they have been successful.
With recent news of manufacturing rotary engines (in Ohio I believe) the
chance to power a BD-5
with a rotary of the proper size and weight may become possible, I
certainly hope so.
Cheers,
John Lewis
N501BD
Thanks John & George (down under),
After asking yesterday I spent the night on Google and found mention
but no specifics, thanks for the location and picture. I wonder how
fast it was?
I see they're putting turbocharged 4 cyl Honda engines in them.
I've got the bug to try this and one rotor will not be enough, (is my
hair on fire?) besides it seems Paul thrives on cooling problems.
Thanks,
Tim Sharpe
I think if you put 300 pounds in the engine compartment of a BD5
you will have more serious structural problems than engine cooling.
Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.
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Right.
The Mazda rotary would fit much better in a Prescott Pusher or Cirrus VK30
type airframe, and would be too big for the Taylor IMP, which is still
bigger than the BD-5.
A single rotor with Al housings might be okay.
People need to keep at the forefront of their minds that weight is a
killer when it comes to airplane utility. The heavier it is (above design
gross/empty weight), the less fun it will be to fly. Period. No matter
how much power you hang on it.
Plus, very few (no) homebuilt airframes provide much pilot protection when
it comes to landing off-airport at high speed. While it might be fun to
fantasize having an airplane with fighter jet performance, the reality of
what that same machine would be like without the engine running is
definitely negative. Unless the airplane has a crash structure like a
race car, your chances of surving a collision with a solid object
(encountered off-airport) are not much better than they are on a
motorcycle. I'd bet that the military uses its ejection seats far more
often because of engine failure than because of combat damage. And they
operate turbines.
Sorry if I sound grumpy..
Regards,
Matt-
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Copyright 1998-2005 All world wide rights reserved.