clare at snyder.on.ca wrote in message
...
On Sat, 11 Feb 2006 09:15:06 -0500, "Kyle Boatright"
wrote:


clare at snyder.on.ca wrote in message
.. .

snip

An O200 and a Corvair weigh virtually the same (within 30 lbs), with
electrical systems, and provide virtually the same hp and thrust.

Cheaper? most definitely can be - and certainly is cheaper to overhaul
when the time comes. And the automotive engine MAY run longer between
major overhauls.
I can build a zero timed Corvair for not much more than the cost of
rebuilding one cyl on a Lycoming.

The issue there goes back to reliability. What is the reliability of a
Corvair in an aviation application with the crank and bearings taking
loads
they were never designed to deal with?

KB

They have flown thousands of hours over the years - and untill the
last couple months in high speed planes, crank failures have been
extremely rare. (assuming light weight props, no more than 3000 RPM,
and planes flying in normal category at less than 150MPH)

The cranks have not been any more problematic than Lycos or Contis.
flown within their design parameters.

As stated before, a full thrust bearing on a Corvair engine is almost
identical in thrust are as on an O-200.

An excellent point. Racers, acrobatic pilots, and some experimenters with
midified metal props have broken their share of Lycomings and Continentals.