Darick wrote:Do u have more info on this? Who modified it from 2180? What prop? Etc.
I was possibly the last Nikasil user to accept that they were no good, so about 4 months ago I decided they needed to go. The recommended Sensenich prop was preventing me from ever getting close the the revs required to achieve the rated 80HP, so after a chat to Lonnie Prince I imported one of his carbon fibre 54x42 P-Tip units.
The Nikasil barrels had pancaked in the heads requiring them to be fly cut (and 4 new exhaust valves after 110h total run time), so I decided to max out the displacement and imported a set of iron 2276cc barrels. The crankcases were machined by an Australian VW engine wizard based on our Gold Coast. Compression ratio came in at 9.2:1
In the process I decided to throw away the standard alternator stator and fit one of Jabiru’s latest 12 pole / 20 Amp units that they have developed to overcome the pitiful output of the original Sonex and Jabiru alternators...I should have done that years ago.
The flight pictured in the YouTube clip is the plane’s first flight after going back into phase 1 (5 hrs) testing. It’s fair to say I’m impressed...Yesterday’s flight at 2000amsl in 90degF summer heat yielded cruise speeds between 115 and 122kts (not mph) at 3200 rpm...Thanks Lonnie.
Hottest CHT was 358degF. Dynon voltmeter showed 14.1V even while running the secondary ignition. The oil temp at 205degF was a little higher than normal but that’s to be expected on a new engine. WOT RPM in level flight was 3280 rpm, but the engine is very tight.
Oh and thanks to Loktite anaerobic crankcase sealant, after 2 hours running, not a trace of oil leaks.
There are photos of the plane on the Sonexaus website here:
http://sonexaus.wikispaces.com/Rodger+Connolly+Waiex