Paul, please add the following to the other message I just sent
you... Matt

Chris,

The answer is Geared Drives. We have been giving forums at SNF
and Osh for several years.  The question comes up in the forums
often.  I try to not attempt to sell on any of the lists I am on
so I seldom speak about our products.  If you want more info, go
to our web site www.geareddrives.com The "us" is Bud
Warren - designer, owner and builder Phyllis Ridings - Bud's
daughter and office manager and me

Reagrds Larry Perryman

Here is the guy's ignorant attitude and lies about the Mazda from his web site. And he wants to sell gear boxes. If he is this ignorant about the Mazda would you want to buy a gear box from him. Is he a good enough engineer to design a light weight modern planetary drive?

You have to be kind of dumb to insult your potential customers :)

Paul Lamar

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"Please understand that I mean no offense with this answer. Years ago, when I started working to develop and engine and PSRU for an airplane, I chose the Chevrolet because it was lightweight, easy to get, anyone could work on it and it was not difficult to accessorize or keep an exhaust system on. Parts were plentiful, engine RPM ranges for best HP and torque made sense. I could run the engines in a low RPM, get lots of HP and torque, and amplify that torque to my prop without excessive engine heat to have to deal with. Lower RPM means less heat, longer engine life, lower fuel burn, and it all made sense to me

Contrast my philosophy with some of the facts that we already know about the typical Mazda engine for aircraft use. They run extremely hot, have oil temperature problems galore, and they certainly are not light weight. The excessive temperature puts their exhaust systems are under such pressure that they don’t hold up well. I also do not like that they run at high RPM all of the time. In the automotive world the Mazda engine is considered to be a “throw away” in that they are not designed to be re-buildable, which simply does not appeal to my mechanical mind.

But again, that is my [ignorant] personal opinion. There are many pilots out there using a Mazda engine and many have come to me asking if I could develop a PSRU for their engine. Though there is not currently a plan on the table to develop a Geared Drive for the Mazda, it is not entirely out of the question for the future."