V-8 powered Seabee

Dave,

Now you're parsing words, sort of. You can put a certified, new from
Lycoming engine in a homebuilt. Vans sells them all the time. You're
right, though, that once it's in there it's no longer certified in that
aircraft. That's not the point.

The point is that part of that cost is what's left of original R&D as well
as ongoing development of the engine. A lot of it is also maintaining the
standards of parts, assembly, and QA that's required to make it a certified
engine, regardless of whether or not it's certified in that airframe. That
costs money and infers a certain standard of testing and reliability, even
though we all know that machines can and do break at any time. I'll take
the odds on a certified engine over an auto conversion any time.

I didn't infer that a website should be all the research one should do. It
is often the FIRST source of information for those on the list and when it
shows such a one sided view, then your "caveat surfer" tag is definitely in
order.

John Stricker

"Dave Hyde" wrote in message
...
John Stricker wrote:

These conversions AREN'T certified.

No engine installed in a homebuilt is.

In effect WE are the certifying entity and as such the
responsibility falls on us and we can't make that decision
with glossed over reports of "trouble-free" service.

I agree absolutely. I also realize and accept that
the developer is hardly an impartial observer and
is likely to sugar-coat their results. I'd never
buy an airplane or an engine (certificated or otherwise)
without digging deeper than a website. I'll never be
the first to buy or fly.

Dave 'caveat surfer' Hyde

Lycoming-powered RV-4