---------------------------------------------------------- Lightning-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Sun 05/27/07: 1 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 05:45 AM - Re: Re: another's concern (Kayberg@AOL.COM) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 05:45:22 AM PST US From: Kayberg@AOL.COM Subject: Re: Lightning-List: Re: another's concern Thanks for thinking about this, James. I did make a couple of assumptions. 1) That if you could build an airplane, you could build an engine....with some help, of course. They are actually rather simple in construction. There is a learning curve to some of the details of course. 2) That the engine would be assembled from used parts that may not meet certified standards. For example, some crankshaft cracks are acceptable for an experimental engine but none for a certified. Obviously some cracks are acceptable only for airboats!! As you might expect, there is a substantial difference in price between airboat and certified. I have an O-290-G case bored to accept O-320 cylinders, using a O-235 crankshaft with backing plates, mechanical lifters, Bendix mags, carb, manifold, new pistons and rings, etc. I picked it up on Barnstormers dissassembled for $1,900. My plan is to spend about 30 hours assembling it, another $1,000 on parts and will pay an engine shop another $1,000 to coach me on assembling. I will build it for low horsepower, 130-150, so I can feel comfortable burning auto gas. Since most planes only fly 100 hours a year or less, I think I can get 10 years out of it with no problem. Hence my statements about a less than half price engine. You are correct about engine weight, I would not even dream of puting it in a Lightning. I am working on a Witman Buttercup In my opinion, for the money, the Lightning is the best combination of engine and airframe out there today. It offers the best combination of high and low speeds along with good handling and fuel efficiency. That is why I am a part owner in our demo plane at Green Landings. Being a scrooge, I just hate that it costs so much. Yes it is worth it and I am not getting any younger, but...... Doug Koenigsberg In a message dated 5/26/2007 7:59:18 PM Eastern Daylight Time, JamesL@Lugoj.com writes: What's a realistic amount of time needed to assemble and test such an engine? For example, if half the price of a Jabiru is, say, $7,000, and you take 280 hours to assemble a comparable Lycoming from $7,000 worth of parts then if you value your time at more than $25/hour then you are better off buying an assembled engine for $14,000. Generally the lower the engine cost, the less advantage there is in building one from parts. In this case your construction of a heavier engine also eats into your plane's payload capacity. Of course if you are retired and/or enjoy the process itself then building an engine from parts may be just the ticket. That assumes of course that one accepts that the cost of parts adds up to less then a factory assembled engine. I know that is not generally the case in the automotive engine world. I'd like to see proof that one can buy all the parts to build a Lycoming that adds up to a cost lower than a factory assembled engine. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Matronics Email List Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post A New Message lightning-list@matronics.com UN/SUBSCRIBE http://www.matronics.com/subscription List FAQ http://www.matronics.com/FAQ/Lightning-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/lightning-list Browse Digests http://www.matronics.com/digest/lightning-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.