I'm just new on this list so pardon me if I'm breaking protocol or
something, i'm not meaning to. I'm trying to contact Paul Lamar who I
understand is the guru of all guru's in rotary engines. I'll give a little
of my background, I'm old and was around during the time of the old radial
engines, R4360's and R3350 turbo compounds and so on before the turbines and
jets took over. The same thing didn't happen to small planes in general
aviation but we do have the rotary engine that at least runs the same
direction all the time unlike reciprocating technology. So anyway with that
said, here is my question and anyone is welcome to chime in. I love rotary
engines and turbine engines, so I'm wanting to use one on one of my planes,
probably my little C-150 would be a great candidate since the little O-200
is getting up in time. This is a multipart question by the way,

  1. What engine would be suitable for a C-150 conversion?
  2. Also has anyone heard of a ducted fan unit that can run directly
  on the rotary engine as to not require a PSRU/prop?
  3. What are the pros and cons to my probably rediculas question?
  4. I'm sure there are regulations somewhere to prevent this even if the
  parts were right in front of me, but I'm interested in looking into this
at
  least.

Thank you so much for any assistance or knowledge you can offer.

Bruce

I hate to be so negative but the FAA does not like people
putting non certified engines in certified aircraft.
It can be be done but the restrictions are many.
The program is designed for engine manufacturers intending
to certify the engine. Unless one is in that category
it is near impossible.

Ducted fans have been tried over and over again for decades
all with the same bad results. Kuchmen & Weber summed
up the problem in this graph. The drag of the duct outweighs
the increase in thrust.

Paul Lamar


Does Bruce live in the US?  If not, he maybe have a lot more
flexibility in doing changes..

There are STC's to put Lycoming parallel valve (light) O-360's on
C-150's - many have O-320's.  It's a fairly tough airplane (over
1100lbs empty - a lot of aluminum), so I think a lightly built P-port
13B could be a good fit.  With a gear reduction (PSRU).

The stock fuel tanks make the C150 severely endurance/range limited -
22.5 gal useable.  There are some with patroller tanks (37 gal?) that
would make excellent candidates.

There's an STC to increase the MTOW from 1600lbs to 1760lbs.  You'll
want to check that out.


Matt-