What are the features desirable for the best PSRU for the Mazda Rotary engine ?

Steve Carlisle

An exact copy of the Ross :) With one or two small improvement.
I would use extended point set screws for the prop flange.
Better than those two 3/8th inch pins. 3/8th holes all the way through
the 4130 tubing prop shaft weaken it unnecessarily. You can tell that
by just looking at it. In addition to being much stronger it will be easier
to take apart and service. Much much cheaper than hogging it out
of a solid piece of chrome molly.

Hundreds of Ross's have been sold with thousands of flight hours and the only design
issue was the lack of a helical sun gear thrust bearing.  Long since fixed.

The needle bearings need no high pressure oil from the Mazda oil pump.
Just a dribble.

It will be hard to beat the weight of 35 pounds. The weight of the PSRU is
critical in a tractor engine AC as it strongly affects the CG.

Old Lou Ross got it right from the start.

Paul Lamar


Paul, thanks again,
Steve Carlisle

Do you know a DC4 pilot at Port Hardy? I forgot his name.

We were on our way from  Port Hardy to Kechikan.
He gave me really good advice and saved me from flying all the
way back to Port Hardy from beyond Banks Island. If the
weather turned bad. He suggested I fly over to
Sand Spit. The Sand Spit airport airport has  a prevailing wind
that blows the fog away to about a 1/2 mile vis. We had a DME
so we knew when we got close. This was long before GPS.

The weather got bad around Banks Island so we flew at 50 feet
altitude all the way across the sound 100 miles out to Sand Spit.

Worked like a charm.

Stayed a few boring days with 3 tries for Kechikan. We would  call
Kechikan on the HF radio and they would say the weather was
fine. Come on up.  It usually got bad about 50 miles out. Back
to Sand Spit :)

Everybody told me not to fly South East Alaska in a wheel plane.
They were right :)

Paul Lamar


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