The Pawnee is a tough bird, frame-wise, making it ideal for towing and off-feild retreives.

There are alternatives to lycoming powered Pawnee, in Australia they are trialling LS-1 Chev V8 engine power, prop drives through a belt reduction.

Downside- its experimental
Upside - no cooling issues, cheaper fuel, cheaper spares, cheaper engine rebuilds, faster climb rate, shorter take-off distance, quieter operation, etc, see also

http://www.gfa.org.au/airworth/engines.php

If more clubs took the punt on such an engine, it would be a simpler thing to get certified!

bagger