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


  The turn over in coastal operations is often, so if you came up
  years ago, that fellow is likely gone. Flying all the way to the QC
  islands in a wheel plane is Ballsy ! At 50 FT in the fog is normal,
  and if there is mechanical failure anywhere you can land on floats
  as the water is flat calm. You would not have been that lucky !

  Steve Carlisle

  All true :)
  He also mentioned flying when the tide was out so you could land
  on the tidal flats.


  Paul Lamar


  Ya, that would be a good idea for a wheel plane, but being strictly
  water based floats, that doe,s not enter our mind.

  Steve Carlisle

  Of course :) How far can you taxi on a tank of gas? :)

  Paul Lamar

  The Rotary Engine News Letter. Powered by Linux.
    ACRE NL web site. http://www.rotaryeng.net
    You Tube http://tinyurl.com/beqqxas
    Copyright 1998-2014 All world wide rights reserved.