---------------------------------------------------------- Kolb-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Tue 02/24/15: 4 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 02:09 AM - Re: Kolb-List Digest: 19 Msgs - 02/22/15 (George Bearden) 2. 07:17 AM - Re: MK III Engine Options (Richard Pike) 3. 08:10 AM - Re: Re: Kolb-List Digest: 19 Msgs - 02/22/15 (Rick Neilsen) 4. 06:50 PM - Re: Part 103 legal Firestar? (WhiskeyVictor36@aol.com) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 02:09:46 AM PST US From: "George Bearden" Subject: Kolb-List: RE: Kolb-List Digest: 19 Msgs - 02/22/15 > overheating is a possible issue I have often wondered if the nikasil cylinders for the VW would help with the marginal cooling of the heads. My answer, without a shred of empirical knowledge, is that it would. Back in the 60's my Ducati racer had a copper gasket between the head and the generously-finned cylinder (aluminum with cast iron liner). I was told by 'Ducati experts' that the cylinder drew a lot of heat away from the head. The nikasil cylinders would certainly cut some weight.. 10 lbs IIRC. Wonder if ceramic or other engine coatings would help with the head cooling. ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 07:17:54 AM PST US Subject: Kolb-List: Re: MK III Engine Options From: "Richard Pike" Having built several Corvair engines over the years, while they can be made quite bulletproof, all the ones I have ever seen in aircraft use are tractors, so they can be easily cooled. As a pusher, cooling is going to get a lot more complicated. Besides; they are just too heavy. -------- Richard Pike Kolb MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) Kingsport, TN 3TN0 "Living for your own pleasure is the least pleasurable thing a man can do. If his neighbors don't kill him in disgust he will die slowly of boredom and powerlessness." - Joy Davidman Read this topic online here: http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=438652#438652 ________________________________ Message 3 _____________________________________ Time: 08:10:24 AM PST US Subject: Re: Kolb-List: RE: Kolb-List Digest: 19 Msgs - 02/22/15 From: Rick Neilsen George/All Great Plains Aircraft sold the nikasil cylinders for the VW for a few years. They talked about the weight savings and the cooling. They now say that they didn't work out. Never heard the why just that they don't recommend them any more. Rick Neilsen Redrive VW Powered MKIIIC On Tue, Feb 24, 2015 at 5:08 AM, George Bearden wrote: > > > overheating is a possible issue > > I have often wondered if the nikasil cylinders for the VW would help with > the marginal cooling of the heads. My answer, without a shred of empirical > knowledge, is that it would. Back in the 60's my Ducati racer had a copper > gasket between the head and the generously-finned cylinder (aluminum with > cast iron liner). I was told by 'Ducati experts' that the cylinder drew a > lot of heat away from the head. > > The nikasil cylinders would certainly cut some weight.. 10 lbs IIRC. > > Wonder if ceramic or other engine coatings would help with the head > cooling. > > ________________________________ Message 4 _____________________________________ Time: 06:50:57 PM PST US From: WhiskeyVictor36@aol.com Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Part 103 legal Firestar? Hi Bill Sullivan & others, I have a FireStar with 5-rib wings just like yours. I built it and tried to keep the weight down per Kolb's instructions, i.e. go light on the paint; use sun block in the paint rather than the silver stuff, etc. My kit came with the skinny 1" diameter gear legs and plastic wheels. My buddy built a FireStar KXP with the same gear legs and wheels. He bent the gear legs on the first landing, so I opted to switch over to the fatter 1-1/8" Dia. legs before I flew mine, which was in 1994. We both think that after getting some experience, we could probably have used the skinny gear legs. But one place we wanted to fly to required brakes because of a downhill pavement taxi-way. Installation of the go-cart brake kit required the use of the heavier duty gear legs and the wheelbarrow wheels. This added weight. My wife suggested (strongly demanded) that I install a parachute system. I got a Second Chantz unit which I think was about 12 lbs. or so. Again adding weight, but with the idea that the parachute was less than the 24 lbs. allowance and the extra could be used to allow for the heavier gear, brakes and wheels. I didn't weigh the FireStar at that time, so no idea of the weight in that configuration. However, later on I installed a 3/4 coverage Lexan windshield and at that time I did weigh it at 275 lbs. empty (Bathroom scales). Seems to be a lot of different opinions about whether or not you can use the allowable weight of a parachute for other items. But at the time I built mine, the Kolb brochure stated that a parachute might be needed to make the 254 lb. weight, which seemed to reflect that you could. Bill Varnes Audubon, NJ Original Kolb FireStar In a message dated 2/22/2015 12:00:10 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, williamtsullivan@att.net writes: Following Jack Hart's guidelines, I think you could come in well under the weight limit. If I ever get to throw some money at mine, I think I can come in around 270 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Matronics Email List Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post A New Message kolb-list@matronics.com UN/SUBSCRIBE http://www.matronics.com/subscription List FAQ http://www.matronics.com/FAQ/Kolb-List.htm Web Forum Interface To Lists http://forums.matronics.com Matronics List Wiki http://wiki.matronics.com Full Archive Search Engine http://www.matronics.com/search 7-Day List Browse http://www.matronics.com/browse/kolb-list Browse Digests http://www.matronics.com/digest/kolb-list Browse Other Lists http://www.matronics.com/browse Live Online Chat! http://www.matronics.com/chat Archive Downloading http://www.matronics.com/archives Photo Share http://www.matronics.com/photoshare Other Email Lists http://www.matronics.com/emaillists Contributions http://www.matronics.com/contribution ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These Email List Services are sponsored solely by Matronics and through the generous Contributions of its members.