Comment

Comment by tom on September 1, 2010 at 12:47pm

love it!

Comment by Kenneth Aron on June 29, 2010 at 9:35pm

http://www.rotaryaviation.com is the company I purchased the PSRU from; they also market an ECU that controls both spark and fuel injection. It's designed for aviation use, with a combination of automatic & pilot-controlled mixture, and redundant sensors and computers. I bought one of these too.

Really, the only things making the rotary conversion difficult is the lack of exhaust / intake manifolds. Otherwise, most of what you need can be purchased off the shelf and installed by any moderately experienced gear-head.

I have just over $8K invested on the FWF so far. $2K for the engine, $3K for the PSRU, $1.6K each for the mount and the ECU, a few hundred for the starter, radiator, etc. Most everything else I'm using was on the engine as received. I'll probably have $9K total when done; definitely less than 10. I'm not counting the Dynon D-180 and all its sensors, as I would have had to buy them regardless of installed engine type.

Comment by Joseph F. Truncale on June 29, 2010 at 8:24pm

Kenneth,
I know my RX8 runs smoothly, so I'm sure you'll have a smooth ride. The extra 40 hp is a real bonus at max weight on takeoff. Another question: will you be running the engine via anything like the car's computer, or is there a simpler arrangement? I can't figure how to control timing in the rotary (what takes the place of a distributor in my car?)? I'll have to check.
How do you think you'll wind up on cost compared to a (not brand new) O-360?
Joe

Comment by Kenneth Aron on June 27, 2010 at 10:36pm

Joseph,
The engine is a salvage I purchased used but with a compression certificate and a 1 yr warranty. The engine mount was designed by Paul Lamar of the "Rotary Engine Website", and fabricated by Jerry Hey, a professional machinist who works with Paul. It's an existing design they modified for the 801 firewall.

The "big silver thing" on the front is a gear reduction drive, formally known as a "Propeller Speed Reduction Unit", or PSRU. It's a 2.85 : 1 gearbox made by "Real World Solutions", another rotary aviation engine supplier.

I am fabricating my own intake and exhaust manifolds, and have had to modify a number of other components. Installing a rotary isn't quite a 'turnkey' solution yet.

The 801 is a 4 seater, and is designed for a 180hp 0-360. This rotary configuration will easily deliver 220HP with the same installed weight.

Comment by Joseph F. Truncale on June 27, 2010 at 8:18pm

Kenneth,
The engine looks new. Is it? I'm envious of your approach. Who designed the engine mounts - yourself?
I'm guessing there's a gear reduction in there somewhere to get your horsepower? Or since its nominally a 238 hp engine, and you only need 85 to 100 hp, maybe you'll be running at an rpm that works for both?
Best,
Joe