Hey group,
Do we have a handle on the combined flight hours in the rotary
fleet?
Chris Cosman
You mean since 1973 when the first one flew?
Paul Lamar
Or some point in time that makes sense, like when Everett Hatch or
Tracy first flew...
Chris Cosman
Lew Ross flew a Mooney and Dave Garber flew his huff and Puff in the
early 70's. Then there was Duncan in Oklahoma selling Mazda
conversions. Everett and Tracy where not the first to fly.
Paul Lamar
I had someone recently question my wisdom for choosing the rotary for
my design and told me there weren't very many flying and those that
are don't accumulate many hours due to the need to constantly fiddle
with them. This gentleman was a proponent of certificated engines.
Not having any hard numbers I said nothing at the time.
I would like to give him an answer. So here are my questions:
1. How many aircraft have flown with a rotary? 2. Of those how many
still have the rotary installed? Meaning some people swap out the
rotary for a certificated engine after becoming frustrated. 3. About
what percentage of installs get past their teething problems in say
the first 100 hrs of flight time, not ground run time? 4. How many
rotaries are currently flying annual to annual without major issues?
I know the experimental crowd likes to fiddle and some will make
major changes just cause they feel like it. 5. What is the highest
time install you know of?
These are just some questions I could think of off the top of my
head. If you have other data you think is more pertinent I'd like to
hear it.
Will Aldridge
1. How many aircraft have flown with a rotary?
My guess is well over a hundread.
2. Of those how many still have the rotary installed? Meaning some
people swap out the rotary for a certificated engine after becoming
frustrated.
No idea.
3. About what percentage of installs get past their teething
problems in say the first 100 hrs of flight time, not ground run
time?
More lately since I wrote the book How to Cool Your Wankel. The major
cause of failure in the past was cooling difficulties.
4. How many rotaries are currently flying annual to annual without
major issues? I know the experimental crowd likes to fiddle and some
will make major changes just cause they feel like it.
My guess is dozens.
5. What is the highest time install you know of?
2500 hours in a gyro copter used for training. Most PP's put about
only 50 hours a year or less than 100 hours per year.
A lot of people don't start until retirement age. Projects are some
times sold several times before they fly. My over all goal is to cut
the time necessary to install a rotary.
We now have a universal motor mount kit and people to make gear
boxes and P-ports.
EFI systems can be bought from multiple sources. IMHO MoTec is the
best but expensive
http://www.motec.com/
I hope to have an open source simple system soon that anybody can
program. One can also use a carb. The 500 CFM 2 barrel Holley is the
best IMHO.
Paul Lamar
That was the motivation for my question as well, a very vocal
naysayer. Don't worry, we're still good friends.
If the list is interested, and with Paul's permission, I volunteer
to compile rotary flight hour statistics and make them available.
This will require some participation by the group of course...
Chris Cosman
Sure but not all flyers are on here. Some have quit flying.
Paul Lamar
Anyone on the list flying a rotary and willing to participate in this
contact me at
cmcosman@icloud.com <
mailto:cmcosman@icloud.com
Include
pertinent things like make, model, FI or carb, redrive ratio,
electronic ignition or stock, firewall forward weight if known,
flight hours of course, year of your Mazda motor, 1 or 2 rotors.
Other fun facts might be the volume of your radiator, fuel burn @ ___
airspeed, a picture of the plane and another of the install... or
anything else you feel; I'm just the compiler.
Chris Cosman
Chris can your Icloud host a web site?
Paul Lamar
I'm sure they can. We already have youshouldfly.com
What are you
thinking?
Chris Cosman
They sell clouds in Fry's for not much money. That would give me
total control my being a control freq :) Save money in the long run.
I assume there are permissions involved.
Paul Lamar
Has the newsletter been shut down temporarily? I haven't received
any mail since Feb 21.
Chris Cosman
No. I am still in Germany. I demonstrated the new High RPM multi
spark ignition to Wankel Ag, AIXRO and PVL. Then I will be in
Washington DC for a few days. Good email is hard to find in Germany.
Best is McDonald's.
Back soon.
Paul Lamar
I've got a bit over 100 hours on my plane, it's bee flying for 5
years now, initially some problems with the CAS being wired
backwards, but other than that, it's been pretty much trouble free. I
keep the plane in Everett, Wa, and have been to Medford Ore twice,
Walla Walla once, Roslyn, Wa, the San Juan Islands many times, the
Olympic Peninsula, and tons of sightseeing. The plane has cooled well
since day one. My oil and coolant run between 170- 200 degrees f.
My only real concern is the exhaust temps, I used .125 thick 308 SS
for the first 12 inches of the exhaust, then inconel for the next 40
inches or so , and then the rest is 321 ss. I have V-band clamps
about 20 inches downstream of my exhaust ports and the bands are
always a bit loose due to the extreme heat and so there is a bit of
exhaust leakage inside my engine cowl. I use a few scoops to ram air
through my cowl to keep dilute the exhaust gases there and temps
down, but my next maintenance item is to see if I can remove the
V-band and just weld the joints so that there are no joints to leak
exhaust gases. I'll have to evaluate whether or not this is possible,
or if this would make it impossible to then install the exhaust
system, it then being one unit. I also have incorporated a bellows
flex joint just downstream of where the two headers join.
Brian Trubee
Ok, B. Trubee - 100 hours. Anybody else?
Chris Cosman
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