Rotax service courses

[Papa Beach]

I've just registered for one of these and am hoping it is worth the money ($600) and time (3 days). I expect some of you must have attended these at some point in time and would appreciate your thoughts. I do subscribe to Rotax-owner.com so already have access to a number of informative videos, bulletins etc.

[DesertFox4]

Papa, I think you will be happy you signed up for the course. I have not yet gone through one but those I know that have said it was very informative and gave them confidence in the reliability and longevity of the Rotax four-strokes. They are very well built engines as you will no doubt discover when you get deep into one. Have fun and take lots of notes.
Let us know your impressions of the courses.

[catz631]

Papa,
Absolutely you should be going to this course ! It is well worth it !!!!! Every owner owes it to himself to learn as much as he can about these engines. You will learn the proper way to maintain them which is much different from the Cont/Lyc engines.
I have attended 3 of them so far and have maintained my Rotax certification.
Dick

[inzersv]

Where do you find out about these courses? Do they hold them around the country or just one place? When I am ready for my engine, I want to take the course. Of course I have to order my kit first. Do you get your Rotax certification at these courses?

[catz631]

Stan,
Go to rotaxflyingclub.com .There you will find a listing of schools. I attended Lockwood (Sebring ,Fl) for my initial 2 courses a few years ago then went to Mississippi Light Aircraft (Ronnie Smith) for a refresher about 6 months ago.
Because of your location I would imagine you would have to go to CPS or some location in Canada.
These courses are excellent and well worth it ! Hope this helps.
Dick Maddux
Milton,Fl

[catz631]

Stan,
I forgot to mention that I did get my Rotax certification at the course.
I combined a visit to the Sebring Light Sport Expo which is held every year in January with Lockwoods Rotax engine course which was held right before the expo. Killed two birds with one stone !
The course was absolutely first class ! Dean Vogel really knows his stuff and the facilities were great !
Dick

[Papa Beach]

Thanks for the encouragement. I feel better knowing others have attended and found it worthwhile but couldn't find where anyone had mentioned anything about it before so thought the courses were perhaps not all they should be. In any event, I will be attending at the Rotech training facility in Vernon, BC (http://www.rotechflightsafety.com/course.htm) and will provide some feedback upon my return.

[Papa Beach]

As promised, some feedback on the Rotax 912/914 service course I just attended. In my opinion, it should be a prerequisite to owning any aircraft with either of these engines especially if you have little or no knowledge of these engines (as in my case, limited knowledge of anything mechanical). In fact, the majority of those attending were already AME's (A&P's) who were there to better understand the differences between these and the Continentals/Lycomings they were accustomed to working on.

The course was fairly intense and covered operation, maintenance and troubleshooting, with valuable hands on experience provided on the latter for the most common issues (think carbs! ). In addition, many examples relating to lack of/improper maintenance were provided evidencing the savings in cost and frustration which could be had with a little preventative maintenance.

While pretty well everything covered in the course is in the various Rotax manuals/videos, it is simply not the same as having personal instruction and hands-on experience provided by knowledgeable and experienced instructors. I highly recommend.