Mark,
I just read a good article in one of my flying magazines about the choice of
engines for homebuilts. If he is trying to go on the cheap and not buy a new
engine for the specific purpose (and depending on the horsepower he needs the
Rotax is a good choice) the article was expressing a bit of favor for the
Mazda rotary engine. A part of the problem of automobile engines in airplanes
is
that they are not designed to run at close to full power for extended periods
of time, they tend to run at higher RPMs than needed for airplanes and they
are typically water-cooled instead of air cooled. A problem with using
automoble engines in airplanes is that the propellers typically cannot exceed
about
2600 RPM consistently. This calls for gear reduction equipment which has some
challenges for the homebuilder. There was a website referenced that appeared
to be quite complete for the homebuilder. If you wish, I'll try to find it
tonight and get it back to you. Best of luck to your friend. Tell him to
remember that the aviation community has a perfect record. We have never left
an
airplane aloft. All of them come back down. Best regards.
David Gill
1976 TR6
Piper Cherokee 180 N8946J
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