Experimenter

OCT 2014

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.

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34 Vol.3 No.10 / October 2014 UNDER THE COWL bo," Monnett remarked. "The key engine parameters are similar (almost identical) to parameters seen on non-turbo AeroVee en- gines and have been running well within the green arc including CHTs, EGTs, oil temp, and oil pressure." Really important is the fact that the Turbo fi ts all actual Sonex engine mounts. The AeroVee Turbo is a pull-through turbo arrangement using the standard AeroVee-sized 32-millimeter AeroInjector (throttle-body). The turbo engine has a pretty conservative 8-to-1 compression ratio for sound longevity; the manifold air pressure boost is approximately 5 to 6 inches Hg higher than on the non-turbo engines. As a "free-fl oating" system, boost is controlled only by throttle setting limited by a fi xed waste gate (spring controlled—either open or closed), and power still diminishes with altitude; but losses are not nearly as drastic as those with a normally aspirated engine. This allows the cruise speed of an AeroVee Turbo in a Sonex aircraft at altitude to exceed the performance of the 120-hp Jabiru 3300 engine. The total weight of the AeroVee Turbo is 185 pounds while the turbo conversion weighs 25 pounds. Sonex is more than com- pensating for the added weight of the turbo by raising the gross weight of turbo-fi tted aircraft by 50 pounds. The kit includes all necessary parts for the conversion, including lots of custom tubes, silicone couplers, new secondary oil pump for the turbo, oil fi lter mount, oil supply lines, and intake and exhaust tubes. Possible options include the air fi lter and oil separator. Any power and performance boost is usually not free, so be- sides the price, the turbo engine has a higher fuel consumption at wide open throttle, up to 8 gallons per hour, according to Sonex. The turbo engine is intended only for 100LL use; no avgas use (yet). For more information, visit www.SonexAircraft.com . SODEMO AERO CONCEPT PRODUCTS Sodemo Aero Concept Products from France surprised visitors with a new V-2 engine specially developed for the experimental and light-sport aircraft market. According to the manufac- turer, the V-2, four-stroke, fuel-injected engine weighs only 120 pounds (55 kilograms) and develops 102 hp at 6500 rpm. A reduction gear (1-to-2.75 ratio) lowers the cruise rpm of the prop to 2,000 revolutions/minute. The engine will enter production in two displacements, at 992 and 1200 cc, developing 102 and 136 hp, respectively. Each two cylinders features four OHC chain-driven valves and two spark plugs and two ECUs for redundancy. The very compact engine looks extraordinarily clean and features several smart solutions. One of them is the built-in oil tank of the dry-sump engine and the conveniently located, easy-to-reach, automo- tive-style oil fi lter. The engines will be available by mid-2016. The same company is of ering an interesting electronic fuel injection kit for the Rotax four-stroke engines priced at approximately $4,000. For more information, visit www.Aero-Concept-Project.com . MW FLY AEROPOWER 150-HP ENGINE This year promises to be an important milestone for the Ital- ian engine manufacturing company MW Fly with the market introduction of the B25R engine, rated 150 hp at 4550 rpm from a 2.5-liter displacement. The B25R, 2.5 I engine, which was in- troduced during AirVenture 2013, is based on the B22 (95-, 115-, 130-hp) engine range with 2.2-liter displacement and features a greater cylinder bore. Total weight of the 150-hp engine is 185 pounds with all necessary components for proper engine op- eration such as the oil and water tank, electronic control unit, generator, and starter. The engine comes as a ready-to-install bolt-on engine. The most interesting detail of the engine is its low-revolution, vibration-dampening system that doesn't use propeller/gear- box dampeners but rather a proprietary system that lowers the engine compression ratio at low engine rpm. The MW Fly B22R engine was also on display at AirVen- ture, powering a vintage Wittman Tailwind. The 130-hp B22R engine is now available in Canada and the United States, with a fl ight-training unit and commercial maintenance facility, MW Fly North America, located in Ottawa, Canada. All MW Fly's The new AeroVee Turbo engine. The Aero Concept's V-2 four-stroke engine. Photography by Marino Boric

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