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UL power or Second hand Viking for my Cruzer
I am building a 750 Cruzer and I am getting to the point where I need to decide on the power package. I have eliminated all the choices with less than 130HP. If there is one thing I would splurge on it would be the power, then maybe the avionics, oh and the paint.
I have narrowed my choices down between getting a UL FWF from Zenith, or buying a second had (but never installed) Viking. I looked at getting a factory new Viking, but the cost difference was not compelling enough by itself, the savings of buying second hand, and the apparently good performance of the Viking engine would make me be willing to consider something that experimental, then I could apply the savings to the panel and great paint.
The big question on my mind is what sort of support I would get? Has anyone gotten a second hand engine or purchased a completed project. What can I expect as the second owner of a Viking engine?
Also what experience have people had in terms of installation and operation of the engine. Have you been happy with the completeness of the package? The support? The ease of installation? The quality of documentation for install?
What about real world performance from people flying the engines? How many are out there? What sort of performance do you get? What is the maintenance like?
I know that is a lot of questions. I am quite conservative in my choices. My uncle who is a FAA DPE says just stick a O-300 in it and be done. I am not *THAT* conservative, I still think power can get you out of trouble some times, but then again *NO* power gets you in even more.
Thanks
Jonathan Fay
N19JF
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Loren Warner on
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We're not flying our Zenith 750 STOL with Viking 130 yet, but plan to in the next couple months. I think UL engines are also very nice, and would be happy with either. We chose the Viking more so because the engines and parts are readily available. Other than Honda specific aircraft Viking engine modifications, there is an abundance of repair facilities and parts available for Honda engines.
Beyond that, the ECU and gear drive are the only things to consider, and Viking seems to support these just fine. Vikings FWF package is complete with everything, and it seemed simple enough to install. As for the Viking engine weighing the same or more than any other similar size engine, we decided the extra power/torque will make up the difference.
Viking 130 is new for aviation use and time will tell if it holds up, but it looks promising. The only Viking 130 engine failure I'm aware of is suspect of faulty installation problems and ECU tampering, so again, time will tell. Our builders page is rather scattered on facebook, but engine installation information can be found on https://www.facebook.com/Experimental750ES/
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Permalink Reply by Brad Rawls on
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I have a Viking 110 powered 601 XLB, while it's not the same engine you are looking at, I can vouch for Viking's service and tech support. I could not be happier with either the engine or their service. Performance is outstanding. No issue with them at all. All experiences have been positive. The only thing I would caution you about is to make sure the 2nd hand engine has all the current updates. Viking makes improvements to the base engine constantly.
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Permalink Reply by Phil Weston on
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Don’t forget to look at Aeromomentum . They are putting out a well thought out design. Just saying.....
If weight and ease of construction are a factor the UL is a viable option. I fly behind a Ul350is and it makes good power and it’s 178 pounds. Rated at 130 hp it’s overkill for my stol ch750 really, but having extra power available is nice. Don’t know about current prices but I paid 26k for everything fwf, no hidden costs or gotchas. Mount ,engine , accessories cowl and prop, were installed in 1 weeks wirth if work with no “ engineering” on my part . Haven’t looked back. Great customer service too. Robert and Ray are awesome.
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Permalink Reply by Robert Riat on
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Not knocking any engine, I really like my UL350is. The gross wt. on my stol 750 is 1440 lbs. and
I have only had it loaded to 1420 lbs. but it leaps off the runway at that weight. No complaints.
It weighed in at 807 lbs. and it’s painted.
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