Paul,
Do you have any current information on Mistral's certification
program? The latest date on their website says they expected
certification of the G300 in 2009....
Josh
They appear to be out of biz.
Paul Lamar --
No, they are not out of bizz.
They presented their engines ar Aerofrederichhafen
They have two 300hp engines, in airplane version and in helicopter
version and they have two 200hp engines, airplane and helico
They are on the experimental market. Certified version are on the
back burner for the time. Also frozen is the JETA engines, waiting
for funding.
With the limited funds they have, they struggle to survive and get
additional funding. It is their priority.
This info comes from a reliable source in Switzerland, who is one of
the founders of Mistral. Philippe CHENEVIER
Did you go to Aero this year?
Are they selling parts? Gear boxes? Exhaust parts? Intake manifolds?
Seems that is an excellent way of making money. Also the customers
are willing to test the parts for free.
Do you have an email address for them?
If there is no way to contact them... in effect... they are out of
biz.
Paul Lamar
There is a market in the US for the Mistral gear box constant speed
prop version in particular.
Philippe , do you know if they are still getting subsidies from the
Swiss government? Having received that money are they not allowed to
move the manufacturing out of Switzerland?
It would make economic sense to move the company to the US and the
manufacturing to China like everybody else.
Who is in charge of the company now?
Paul Lamar
Guys,
Chatted with someone at mistral last week.... They told me they
won't sell just the parts.
It appears the want the whole package or nothing.
Not the greatest policy if you ask me. They have developed a great
product and the PSRU is a work of art. But not trying to make some
money with the work they have done makes no sense.
Plan to go to Geneva in June to check out their operation
Will Failing
That is insane! Why pay them $30,000 for a engine that is not as
good as a brand new $8,000 (retail) Mazda RX8 engine.
Let me know when they get a real businessman in charge :)
In the meantime forget Mistral.
Paul Lamar
Actually, if memory serves Mistral's retail pricing was pushing $60k
before they went belly up......okay, maybe belly side ways.....edging
to up.
I have the Mistral intake and super pleased to have licked onto
having proper timing to get it. (Even though the fuel rail design
seems to have been part of the reason for my engine shut down last
month at about 800 feet over the airport)
It seems Mistral has some talented engineers without solid business
sense (or maybe just socialist business sense....perhaps one in the
same). To have a seemingly known market niche in am already limited
market and dismiss such does not seem to be a good business route.
Chris Barber Houston Velocity N17010
The experiment aviation market is very fortunate and lucky to have a
low cost mass produced engine that is more durable than a $30,000
aircraft piston engine. They just don't know it yet.
The biz model that makes sense is buy the low cost engine from Mazda
and buy the parts to turn it into an aircraft engine from some one
else.
Paul Lamar
Mazada is selling new RX8 engines only??? Didn't they stop production
of the RX8 car line ?
George Curtis Jr
They still sell engines and will for the next ten years. I think it
is the law.
Paul Lamar
Does anybody have a rough price for the rx8 engine they could
provide, just tossing up what would be the cheapest way, complete rx8
and modify or build-up from scratch.
Mistral should look at the experimental market, that way they could
start selling with-out the hassles of certification requirements and
have some inservice testing at the same time. Maybe call it the
"Breeze" for experimentals. I agree that their business sense seems
to be lacking. 60k puts them in with the other cert. engine
competition and are skipping the opportunities available in the
experimental market. Perhaps if they knew the numbers on the
newsletter they might have a different perspective, I'm sure that a
lot of builders would opt for it as an easy set-up option ready to
bolt in. Give a few props to choose from and the market would be
there. Smoothness power to weight, am I missing something here,
what's the hold up? Graeme Riley
They will never in a million years get the FAA to certify an EFI
system. Lycoming has been trying for eight or ten years so far. If
Lycoming can't do it Mistral won't be able to do it. They should
stick and aircraft carb on it.
Also their engine is not good as an RX8 p-port. An RX8 p-port has 50
HP more for the same weight and it idles as well as a Mistral or 13B.
A 3 rotor P-port is 375 HP and not only 300 HP. Again the same
weight.
The side exhaust port is 20% more area with better timing.
Mistral is falling behind on rotary technology.
Paul Lamar
Thanks for that info Paul, appreciate it.
I guess by the time you go through the whole certification process you
will find yourself behind anyway.
I'm going to plead ignorance and If you don't mind, ask for the pro's and
con's of the rx8 renesis vs the 13b (other than the improved stationary
gear etc). What would be the best set-up. Max power is not the goal as both
engines offer more power than I need anyway, I want good reliable power
with good cruise performance not a top end hotrod. If you look at cruise
speed of say an rv7 at 75% (75%x 200hp= 150hp). With 250hp of a rotary,
150hp would only be 60% power which would put it down in the rev range.
perhaps a standard renesis might just be the ticket. Anyway I respect your
opinion and would like to hear it.
Thanks Graeme Riley
Not a lot to chose. Any rotary would work.
A p-port might get slightly lower fuel burn.
It takes HP to suck air into any engine.
Don't forget high altitude cruse advantage of more HP at sea level.
It is a long way from Brisbane to Perth let alone Coober Pedy :)
You don't have to use the HP if you don't want to but it is nice to get
off short, hot, high runways.
Paul Lamar
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