Differences between automotive & airplane engines

wrote in message
oups.com...
Well put.. Converting an auto engine for aircraft use is not for the
novice to try.


Neither is building airplanes. Or flying. Or driving a car. Or using
power tools... Or playing a sport... Or eating solid food...

Building the airplane involves following published
instructions. Flying involves taking lessons with someone who both
knows what they're doing and how to teach it. Driving a car is similar.
Using power tools without knowing something about how to use them
sometimes involves some hard lessons and a missing digit or two, or an
eye. Playing a sport involves rules, and we can step aside anytime if
the risks mount. The food should get gradually more solid while we
learn to eat it, but even then it's not pretty and even fatal once in a
long while.
Converting engines, for the uninitiated, seems to involve
making a prop hub and bolting it on and expecting reliability,
performance, good fuel economy and great engine life. Those of us
who've done it know otherwise; we have run into many obstacles. There
are a few really good, established conversions out there, and most
builders should buy the plans or the kit or the entire engine and stick
with that rather than assume they can easily make an auto engine fly.
Hanging around homebuilding since 1972 has taught me much, particularly
about the "fantastic" conversions that drop out of sight within a year
or two. Something like the new, improved, futuristic internal
combustion engines that Popular Mechanics seemed to have in their
magazines about every third issue back then. There's no shortage of
hype.
Geschwender sold (still sells, maybe?) converted Ford 351s
that flew all day in cropdusters like the Pawnee. That tells me
something about their credibility. A fella should look for established
machinery like that, or something close to what he needs, and build on
that experience.

Dan

Fred Geschwender has pssed on to the big engine factory in the sky.
However, the project lives on. I am not sure which of the several vendors
and developers of Hy-Vo chain based PSRUs is his direct successor; but IIRC
one of them is.

Peter

P.S.: Until further notice, the Hy-Vo chain also remains my first choice
for offset drives; although the proponents of toothed belts do raise a few
meritorious arguments.