"Dylan Smith" wrote in message
...
In article , Dave Stadt
wrote:
I have time in a Nanching (sp). It is an excellent airplane, solid
airframe
and bullet proof engine. I don't see a problem as long as they don't
use
Rotax engines.

I think the new Diamonds (DA-40 etc) use either the diesel or a Lycoming
O-360 (rated at 180hp).

Rotax aren't a bad engine manufacturers - you've gotta remember a lot of
their output is inherently less reliable 2-strokes.

The small 4cyl 4stroke fitted to the original Katana I think got a bad
rap mainly because there weren't many mainstream Lyco-Conti mechanics
who were familiar with it. We don't have a similar problem with the
Rotax 91* series engines here where they are more common (indeed, I've
flown behind the turbocharged 914S, and it's a very nice engine making
sea level power up to around 18000 feet, with automatic turbo and
mixture control).

They dumped the Rotax because customer support is for the most part
non-existant. People aren't going to buy production airplanes that they
cannot get engine parts for. Rotax 4 strokes are somewhat better than the 2
strokes but certainly not what they should be. Homebuilders seem to like
them because they get to work on them a lot.


--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"