Subject: Lancair 360 motor mount
From: Rotary Engine
Date: 12/15/2007, 10:58 AM
To: AARotary Engine

This is a real challenge as a Lancair 360 cowl is rather
shallow and the retractable nose gear makes the motor
mount design difficult. Another problem is the vertical
separations on the firewall hard points is too small which
leads to very high compressive loads in the lower motor
mount tubes. You wind up with a bird cage motor mount.

It is also very challenging to fit the cooling under the cowl.
We had a guy try it about 7 years ago without success.
Not only did he try it inside the cowl but he installed
a quasi P51 style air scoop under the fuselage. He hired
some local thermo engineers that were not quite competent enough
and they recommended a 5 inch thick heat exchanger. Of course that
might work in a 400 MPH P51 but it does not work in a
airplane that climbs out at 100 MPH. At the time I was just
starting my R&D on the subject so I was not much help.
Liquid cooled aircraft engines is a very unique discipline
to say the least.

He finally gave up on the rotary and started a plugs up newsletter :).
I don't know what happened to the Lancair. Perhaps the engine
was swapped out for a Lyc. Some pictures in the next message.

------------------------------------------------------------

Here are the photos. After looking at these old photos again
it could have been something as simple as defective sealing
around the rad cores. A mistake made by most people at first.

The pressure diff. is on the order of .1 psi or less so any leaks
at all defeat the cooling purpose.

Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.

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