On Sun, 23 Feb 2014 09:40:39 -0700, Dan Marotta wrote:

Doesn't the Wilga have shutters in front of the engine which you can
close to prevent shock cooling during a rapid descent?

Yes. There is/was one at HusBos, 70km NW of us which has visited and
towed at our Regionals, so it is somewhat familiar. I've been told that
its typically Soviet-era front cowl shutters are very effective and that
after releasing the glider you can shut the throttle and shutters without
any risk of cracking cylinders and that, if you know what you're doing,
the engine temp stays within a 30 degree C(?) temperature band through a
number of launch cycles.

The worst I've heard said about them is that the usual radial, a 260 hp
Ivchenko AI-14 is a relatively short-life engine. Its also used on a lot
of light aircraft, including the Yak 12 and 18A.

Apparently there are some Wilgas fitted with Lycoming O-540s. Possibly
they're mostly on your side of the pond since I've never seen one.


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martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
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