Corvair power?

[Rodney]

Well - lots of guys & gals have gone down behind Continentals and Lycomings and didn't make it either - same thing for Rotecs and almost any other engine you want to name.

Just this week we had a guy land his Cessna 150 on a golf course in Dallas after his engine quit. Guy must be a bad golfer too cause he ended up in a sand trap. OK sorry - bad humor.

The corvair certainly has had it's problems - but if you follow the history closely, most of the problems have centered around crankshaft issues.

Now with the addition of nitrided cranks and a fifth bearing added to handle gyroscopic propeller loads, this engine is certainly worth consideration.

I'll say this, any time a serious issue has arisen with the Corvair engine, there is a very active group of owners, engineers and builders that have actively addressed the issues head on, and kept the public well informed of their progress and changes.

Not so with Lycoming and Continental. How open have they been with their own crankshaft issues. Just ask Malibu owners if you have any doubts. Here's an AD for you fella - and oh - by the way - it's gonna cost you 30 thousand buck to fix your engine.

I for one applaud the efforts that have been made to make the corvair engine, and vw engines too for that matter, safe to put in an airplane.

As soon as I sell my current airplane I'll be starting in on a Kitfox - and a corvair engine will certainly be high on my list for consideration.

Regards
Rodney Wren

[Rodney]

Hey - did I kill this thread????????????\

Sure didn't mean to.

I too really like the idea of a Kitfox with a Corvair - especially one with the new 5th bearing and the 4340 cranks that are becoming available.

I've talked to Aeromax and they will build to suit at a fairly reasonable price - especially compared to Lycoming and Rotax.

Anyone else thinking along this line??

Regards
Rodney Wren

[Rodney]

Well RATS!

Anyone in the North Texas/Oklahoma area doing a Kitfox with a Corvair????

I'd love to see one.

Thanks
Rodney

[tleed]

Looks like I'm going to be something of a pioneer here. I'm planning to hang a Corvair on the front of my Model IV-1200. I did a lot of talking and reading before I went with that combination.

I've been to one of William Wynne's "Corvair Colleges". The info stream there was way too deep to drink all at once. Suffice it to say there is a large support system there. I wound up opting for one of the fifth bearing set-ups with a nitrided crank. I'm not a daredevil.

As to weight, apparently Subie's are pretty heavy and there are a significant number of them that have been hung on the front of a Model IV.

William Wynne has also done a lot in regard to cowling, baffling, engine mounts, intake/exhaust, etc. In fact, I'm carting my frame down to SC in a couple of weeks to have him help me work out the engine mount and an upcoming Corvair College.

Thomas

[Dead Roman]

William has posted on his site thet he feels the model IV and up would be more than satisfactory for corvair use. I plan to build his 3100cc motor rated at 120hp. Its also the lightest model. Throw in the fact that im gonna build it up as hand prop only any you drop even more weight.

[Slyfox]

hand prop, why on earth would you want to go threw that garbage for?

[Dead Roman]

Whats wrong with hand prop? People been doing it for years.

[Slyfox]

if that's what you want, go for it, not this kid. Oh and what's wrong with it, I love my arms for one.

I know a guy that thought it was cool to have such a plane until one day he started it and it went full throttle, got away from him and ended up in the river after flying by itself a bit.

[horsepower]

If your wanting to go starterless for the less weight I believe they make a light weight mini starter for Corvairs.I admire your decision to break the mold and go for something a little different than the 912.If you were one of the ones that bought a 912 a few years back then you did well but the price now is out of line in my book.They are a great engine and if money was no object thats what I would have,that being said I have heard good things about the newer Corvairs and the extra bearings make it a true aircraft engine.Get yourself a starter, on a hot day that beast can kick back like a mule. Good luck with the engine. Randy

[SkyPirate]

Actually I don't blame you either into looking for other power plants ,..that is why I am going to be probably the first to use a 2009 ford 2.0 DOHC engine on an aircraft ,..it's 140 HP and weighs in close to 200 lbs ,.I'm going to build my own manifolds to try and lose some weight ,..I will have to add a PRSU which will add a little weight but also torque along with the weight ,,as mentioned in a previous post ,..i can get a ford 2.0 out of a 2008/2009 model focus with 5k miles or less for around $800.00 or less ,..

Chase