Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/113663
configuration and accessory and governor mounting pad locations. Even within the model designation of Lycoming O-360 there are some five dozen different configurations. Refer to Lycoming's publication SSP-108 for details on the different engine models they have. ant surprise to find out after your airplane is finished that your engine makes less power and/or weighs more than you expected. Good advice for all aircraft builders in general and engine selection in particular is to avoid adding weight and complexity whenever possible. The same manufacturer may have engines that are similar but more or less powerful, such as the Lycoming O-320 and O-360 engines. With an added weight of 20 pounds or so, an extra 20 hp can be gained. But sometimes the weight gain is much greater, making the trade-off less beneficial. This is the case with the difference between the Lycoming IO-360 parallel valve engine and the more powerful but much heavier IO-360 angle valve engine. If the first two sins that airplane engines can commit are not making enough power and weighing too much, the very next is not being reliable. In fact, unreliability should probably be moved into first place. After all, poor performance will disappoint you, but unreliability can kill you. The engines that have met the test of long-term reliability and serviceability are made by one of three manufacturers: TCM (Continental), Lycoming, and now Rotax, with Superior and ECi included as Lycoming clones. To be sure, all of these companies have had their problems, but they have withstood the test of time by refining their products and taking care of their problems such that they now produce the most reliable aircraft engines currently available. It does not mean that all other Everyone wants more power, but the urge to gain power at the expense of significant added weight and increased physical dimensions often leads to problems. Although less weight is usually easier to deal with than more, a switch from an engine such as the Continental O-200 to the much lighter Rotax 912 ULS can cause center of gravity problems that could be difficult to overcome. The further you deviate from the original design weight and power, the more difficult you will make things for yourself. Auto conversions can make this process even more complicated because accurate weight and power numbers are often difficult to come by. It can be a most unpleas- Everyone wants more power, but the urge to gain power at the expense of signifcant added weight and increased physical dimensions ofen leads to problems. Your author torques the head bolts on his Jabiru 3300A engine during an annual inspection. Tis engine saves about 30 pounds compared to a Continental O-200, but it was more difcult to get running well and requires more maintenance. Photography by Dave Prizio and courtesy CubCrafters EAA Experimenter 51