Hello Gentlemen,

I am considering buying a lancair that has a rotary engine in it. What
issues do I need to look for? I have read a fair amount on the subject.
Doesn't seem that the "bugs" have been worked out as of yet? Does a
normal A&P mechanic know what to look for or am I barking up the wrong
tree? If not where do I get the plane serviced, etc...? Regular gas vs
avgas? Do most FBO's carry normal fuel or is that an issue? Does
elevation and temperature effect normal fuel?  What about FAA
certification of the aircraft and insurance? Can you get a plane insured
for reasonable rates with a rotary engine? If so where? Do the normal
maintenance regs apply to rotary engines? Seems as if TBO's are much
farther out for rotary engines and much less costly? I am sold that the
rotary engine is the way to go but these are all issues that concern me.
Sorry to be a thousand questions guy but can someone shed light on these
subjects, links, etc...?



Best Regards,


Ormand Hunter

Who built it?  A lot depends on who built it and how good of a job was done.
You may have to rework a few details.

Please take some pictures and post them. I might be able to identify the
original builder. Lancair 320-360 are hard to cool as there is not a lot
of room under the cowl for rads. Is it flying now?

Most A&P's don't know what to look for. It will burn auto gas no problem.
BIG savings. Auto gas is hard to find but there are web sites that list them
for cross country fliers. It is not a certified airplane. It will be in the
category of an experimental aircraft.

The builder is authorized to work on it but I am not sure who is for the
second owner. Perhaps an A&P. People get insurance but most people don't
mention the auto engine. You need to read the fine print to see if auto
engines are excluded. I don't really think there is an official TBO for the
engine but I think the need for an annual still applies. You may have to
train your A&P :)
Basically a rotary is fine if it has good compression and high oil pressure.
There are very few parts to go out. The back lash in the gear box can be
checked in seconds.

There are other people on here that can do a lot better job than I on most
of these questions.

Paul Lamar

The original builder generally applies for the Repairman Certificate
when they apply to have the airplane issued an Airworthiness
Certificate.

No certificate/qualification is required for a person to work on an
experimental aircraft.  You, your buddy Bubba, your wife - anybody can
do the work.  The pilot has to decide whether the airplane is
airworthy (legally and practically) after the work is done..

Either an A&P or the "Repairman" for that particular airplane are
authorized to do the once-yearly "condition inspection" (not the same
as an annual which requires an IA).

If the aircraft is modified in a way that might be construed as a
"major change" (FAA term), you may have to refer to the Airworthiness
Certificate for what to do to return the airplane to airworthiness.
Many of the certificates refer to a process where the aircraft is
returned to the test phase for a period of five (10?) flight hours
after the modification - ostensibly to verify that the mods haven't
had a detrimental effect on the operation of the aircraft.

The old certificates have no such wording, and so technically I
believe they don't have a provision to allow for "major changes".  In
this case, you can apply for a new certificate (from the FSDO) with
the more recent wording that talks about returning the airplane to the
test phase.

My Varieze has the old wording on the AC.  I added electronic ignition
and an alternator to feed it.  I called the FSDO and they said to
return the airplane to a test phase, and if everything works, release
the plane to normal service.  I didn't get that in writing.  I think
they assumed I had an AC with the new wording..  In retrospect, I
should have asked for a new AC (and probably still should - and
probably will)..

Many A&P's aren't interested in working on any experimentals.  Most of
the remaining ones won't look at plastic airplanes, and then further
many won't look at a rotarys (or other auto conversion).  Some A&P's
are pretty happy to work on RV's (Vans).


Matt-