Rans S21 Outbound build French Island. Nic and Mike. Start date 3rd May 2022. Finish date 1st February 2023. Target $ spend to be determined.

[Mike Gearon]

19 hours ago, Kyle Communications said:

The 916 IS  will be about $90k. !!!!!!!!!

 

 

Okay. That could slow us down a lot! 90k 

 

Rfguy… glad you found out about the 916. That’s either encouraging that they’ve gone back and designed a stronger engine or disturbing because it’s a new design! You used your Oshkosh time wisely. I was trying not to walk my feet to a painful death yet again and really didn’t get around enough at 2023. 

[Blueadventures]

3 minutes ago, Mike Gearon said:

Okay. That could slow us down a lot! 90k 

 

Rfguy… glad you found out about the 916. That’s either encouraging that they’ve gone back and designed a stronger engine or disturbing because it’s a new design! You used your Oshkosh time wisely. I was trying not to walk my feet to a painful death yet again and really didn’t get around enough at 2023. 

Would be good to read the test results before commuting to buy. Surely Rotax have the 916 doing plenty of hours before making available??

[RFguy]

I'd reckon rotax would  dot their i z  and cross their t z, I'd have no concern with buying  a 916 if I could spend that sort of money.

(But then I'd buy an  IO-360  instead of a 916) 

Remember- Maximum continuous power is 137hp for a 916.

160hp is takeoff power, and short term climb power.

 

200hp IO360 can do 200  hp all day if you keep the CHTs down...... and does not have any complex electronics nor water

At altitude, the Lycoming will still make good.   I reckon usual story for turbo if you consistently operate hot and high, then the turbo engine is for you (or buy a slightly larger Lycoming an IO-390 ) 
8.5:1 IO360 can run MOGAS.  not sure about 8.7:1 version (check) . dont think  8.9:1 '390 can.

I like having the extra HP in my bird so that I can still put out good speed/power even when leaned extreme (65-70%) .

Gearbox is nice on the rotax though- low speed prop- more efficient slightly, AND not same issue if you have a prop strike....

Might have to think about weight though.... not having the boat anchor up front will change things.

Wonder if the 916 will have a oil thermostat as standard- they SHOULD have IMO. (for fast warmup and stabilized, correct oil temp) 

Edited August 27, 2023 by RFguy

[facthunter]

Just have cowl gills. Less cooling drag.  You're there to fly the plane. NOT test stuff. The intakes going through the oil pan cool the oil somewhat. Nev

[facthunter]

BTW, there's167 Variants of the 0-360 engine.  Nev

[Kyle Communications]

The 915 IS has way enough power at 141 hp max

 

The extra cost for the 916 for the hp is no value in my opinion. The aircraft will fly far better with a 915 up the front than any old dinosaur

 

[RFguy]

6 hours ago, Mike Gearon said:

Rfguy… glad you found out about the 916. That’s either encouraging that they’ve gone back and designed a stronger engine or disturbing because it’s a new design! You used your Oshkosh time wisely. I was trying not to walk my feet to a painful death yet again and really didn’t get around enough at 2023. 

yeah I was in suboptimal shoes also (Volleys) . my feet killed at the end of each 14 hour day on my feet even with silicone insoles. 

[RFguy]

1 minute ago, Kyle Communications said:

The 915 IS has way enough power at 141 hp max

 

The extra cost for the 916 for the hp is no value in my opinion. The aircraft will fly far better with a 915 up the front than any old dinosaur

 

Let's see here. specs. empty 985lbs(447kg) with Titan340  . mmmm I'd want a 140 hp engine for that plane with those numbers and role.  So a 915 is an excellent choice I think, Mark. But 914 too small. 916 is unnecessary.

The weight (447kg empty ) would be only 400 kg empty with a rotax, so even 130hp would be good.

Mike, according to the datasheet, the conty in MOGAS compatible format (you'd surely want that) is 8:1 and 174 hp. 

 

I am sure any issues with the CG  / aft load etc could be solved with the 915  by moving sh1t around. ....-glen.
 

[Kyle Communications]

The S-21 flys well with a 100hp..infact a video just posted today of a first flight in NZ with a 100hp 912ULS its a TD version. The one I flew twice in the USA was a 912 std and with 2 up and half fuel it was fine so a 915 would be awesome

 

[Kiwi]

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

BTW, there's167 Variants of the 0-360 engine.  Nev

Any one got a half life A4A, A3A, A4N or A4M lying around? Got a 140 that needs more power. 🫡

[RFguy]

Mike, this may be applicable to you :
 

CASA EX88/23 — Overseas Training and Assessment, and Instrument Proficiency Check, Exemption 2023

WWW.LEGISLATION.GOV.AU

 

[Mike Gearon]

20 hours ago, RFguy said:

Mike, this may be applicable to you :
 

CASA EX88/23 — Overseas Training and Assessment, and Instrument Proficiency Check, Exemption 2023

WWW.LEGISLATION.GOV.AU

 

Yes, I guess it does. I was preparing for Checkride in August and caught COVID. About 2 weeks after Oshkosh. Didn’t know I was sick. Went to IFR lesson and told instructor my heart was racing and headaches meant I shouldn’t fly that day. I thought I was stressing over the Checkride and should get my act together. Really sick later and COVID test and 10 days  of bugger all. Did get a mock Checkride in before leaving USA. Radio work was good and 1 approach was a little sloppy. Overall, almost a pass 🙂 
 

Plan on PIFR here with Nic. It’s a while different IFR world in Australia with regard to terminology and complexity. USA is geared toward common sense and the actual flying. Here, it seems we are training auditors who can quote regulation.  But…just have to get on with it. The Australian guys website is really good. https://www.pilotpracticeexams.com/
 

 

 

 

 

[Mike Gearon]

We have aircraft 1 just about painted by Paul Chernikeeff. Bring it back to the island next few weeks and we proceed with engine install. On that subject. I’ve just spoken with a person very close to what’s recently happened….The twin engine aircraft that crashed with 2 UL520t engines shocked the hell out of everyone. One loss of life which is the biggest tragedy. 
 

The aircraft is still sitting in a pond. It isn’t released yet for investigation. Are the ECU’s underwater and damaged? Nobody knows. That is going to be the main source of information apart from getting at cranks as well to see if one is broken. Pilot error can’t be ruled out. All we know for certain is that one engine failed and there is a chance it was other than mechanical failure. Also, you’d expect a twin would fly on one engine. The Velocity will certainly fly on one engine. Quote here from review. 
 

Conclusion… We will proceed with UL engine install and hopefully get information as the investigation unfolds. I’m in contact with one of the NTSB investigators and will keep up to speed as the investigation progresses.

 

 

 

Single-Engine Sample

That meant it was time to pull one of the red levers back, feather a prop and fly on one engine. Much noise is made about the difficulty and danger of flying multi-engine airplanes after an engine failure. The V-Twin handles very nicely on one engine. The engines are close together and Vmc red radial on the airspeed indicator was at 82 knots.

 

 

[RFguy]

Yeah alright then. install the 520, and be deep anal with laboratory oil sample analysis etc to track the engine, oil thermostat cooler/bypass .. oversize the oil cooler... and ......be sure to get the prop setup nice and balanced (Mike you can borrow my prop balancer),  and instrument the hell out  of it ! 

[Mike Gearon]

Nic and I have been stopped for a while now. Might have to retitle finish 1 aircraft by Feb 2024 and 2nd by Feb 2025. We’d have flown through this by December 2022 if it was Titan and we had the engine.

 

Situation right now.

 

Aircraft 1.

 

UL520t problems as mentioned. We eventually received an engine mount adaptor from UL USA that would fit if we didn’t have the turbo and they certainly know we have one….In discussions now on how they are going to rectify that problem. The UL cowl supplied is also in the rough. Rans cowl is ready to fit. This requires trimming and we have not a scrap of instruction. 

 

We could be waiting months for a solution to this and may decide to mock up an engine mount just to keep building and painting. This week we will make up our own spray booth. Pics will follow. We have 8 LED strip lights, plastic for a frame, 2 large duct fans and filter material. Intention is a diffuse filtered air in with pressurised booth and filter out.

 

Pic here of some painted parts. Painter didn’t have time to finish so we’ve shipped aircraft back to French island via tilt tray and barge last week and will paint ourselves. Aircraft 1 is white with some highlights in green.

 

Aircraft 2.

 

Hangar construction first. Nic and I building. Just about to the stage I’ll hand over to young guys to do colorbond. Pic with S21 is in identical hangar. 12m X 24m from Trubilt. 48k and probably a lot more now with inflation. Trubilt great to deal with if you need a hangar! There is at least one Melbourne firm to avoid. PM me if you intend a different supplier.

 

After hangar I’ll focus on paint with Nic and finishing aircraft 1 subject to engine mount and we don’t discount the possibility of putting the Titan in aircraft 1 if UL can’t eventually explain why we should have confidence in the engine. It is beautifully made with multiple redundancies. There is still the allure of that turbo and performance… but it’s not worth risking an emergency landing for. 
 

Titan engine is in transit to Australia. I’m flying the RV6 pictured. The S21 tail wheel is going to be just about an eyes half closed and relax landing compared to the RV6. Enjoying the RV6 performance all the same. I see why people talk about the RV grin. Flew  home from an SAAA meeting last week including a CASA talk on safety where the presenter would point out the window at the 25kn crosswind as an example of something we don’t do. It’d backed off somwhat by the time I flew out. Landing at French Island was a bit of an adventure with the RV wanting speed and the wind sock and swaying trees suggesting a 15kn gusting 20kn cross. Touched down at 300m of the 600m available and decided it didn’t look good. Flew around for the new east west runway with a downhill segment west. This runway intended mainly  for those 25-30kn easterlies that’d occasionally ground flights last year.  I’ll just call the landing “interesting” as I touched on hill crest then  floated down to touch down a second time toward the remaining 200m with some soft ground. I’d had wife run the east west to confirm it was solid enough. It sort of was. Rans S21 would have been so easy. Slower speed and those big tundra tyres for the soft stuff where I was powering the RV on again toward the neighbours fence where it felt soft.

 

Both aircraft.

 

We are ordering the Aerosport armrest as in pic here. Tidies up the flap lever cover supplied by rans and utilises that central space for handy items such as phone/ drink bottle etc. We don’t have a price on this yet as not formally released to market. 

 

 

 

 

[sfGnome]

A bit off topic (sorry!), but what is the finish on the hangar floor? 

[Kyle Communications]

looks like polished concrete..or a clear coat

[Mike Gearon]

I don’t mind a bit off topic when helpful information. 

 

Dulux 2 part epoxy. 4 x 20liter tins. Done properly with an acid wash and primer. 

[facthunter]

Makes little bits you might drop easier to find.  Nev

[Bernie]

In a factory I worked in back in 60/70's used PVA to seal a new concrete floor. It made it easier to keep clean. And smooth as.

Bernie.

 

[sfGnome]

Yep. My son-in-law has put an epoxy down on his shed floor, and it is *so* easy to sweep out. However, it did scratch quite easily when something sharp was dragged over it.  One of these years, the DA for my shed will be approved, so I have to decide. Epoxy so it’s easy to keep clean, heavy duty vinyl or timber to help it keep warm (and a bit easier on the legs when you’re standing for a long period), or just bare concrete. Dunno. Guess it depends on how far the budget stretches. 

[IBob]

Nic and I have been stopped for a while now. Might have to retitle finish 1 aircraft by Feb 2024 and 2nd by Feb 2025. We’d have flown through this by December 2022 if it was Titan and we had the engine. ........

 

They say to make God laugh, tell him your plans........)

[facthunter]

Aeroplanes were never meant to be easy. It looks as though nothing is holding them up but everything holds them up. Nev

[Mike Gearon]

Update…

 

Due to life getting in the way I’m selling the 2nd build. Reasons.

1. Life changing event about 5 weeks back. By far the biggest reason and a private matter.

2. Flying the RV6. I purchased this as a fill in aircraft that’s readily salable again when the S21 is finished.  The previous owner was driven mad by a deluge of calls. It’s provinence as a Lamie built aircraft with recent rebuilt IO-360 helped here. I found the tail wheel RV6 very challenging at the start. It’s gradually become the French island commuter workhorse and while not as easy as the Nynja it’s fun to fly. It’s also an aircraft that’s surprised me on bush strips. Landing and being able to apply heavy braking makes a huge difference (yes, eased off as slowed and ready to release if the tail comes up). I’m not coming down to 65kn yet over the fence. 70kn minimum. Watching an RV6 flip makes you wary and I was never going to buy a nose wheel RV after that experience. The 160-170kn cruise is very addictive. Took a while to adjust the ETA circuit call down to 4 minutes from climbing out French Island to Tyabb. 
Take off is some 250m and landing often same and can be less subject to crosswind component.
3. Aircraft.
1. RV6 

2. interstate Cadet

3. I also have the Pipistrel motor glider now registered Glider Federation/ CASA. VH-8Z8 is just waiting on COA and my flight to New Zealand to pick up a replacement prop assembly. I’m just as excited about getting this aircraft flying as finishing up the S21 with Nic. (We are still partners in the first S21)

I’ll plan on selling the Interstate in USA and looking out for an RV9 to fly there then maybe bring to Australia. Wife won’t fly in the RV6 yet and probably never will. The high landing speed worries her. 
 

So, I’ll put the kit up for sale on plane sales and probably on barnstormers. Relatively cheap to ship it back to USA and a bigger market. If readers here have an interest prior please contact me. It’s as can be seen in pics. At quick build stage with all surfaces complete and just starting into paint. It’s build 2 and as such a slightly better build where we were learning on kit 1.
 

Add up the build kits, Garmin G3X and Titan and it’s over 200k. I haven’t decided a price yet. So, message here or call 0488 585980

 

Mike.

 

 

[Mike Gearon]

Update on the update…. Things have improved. I’m in USA now and lots of things coming under control that I’ll admit seemed overwhelming. I was also surprised both my wife and Nic encouraging me to continue with the S21 build. Pic hiking with friends Palm Springs, California. Definitely good to move away and review from a distance. 
 

Just had FAA medical done in Palm Springs and the aviation doc was cool. I think we all get white coat syndrome. It’s a big deal getting it ticked off. Titan engine was due to ship air freight to Australia for approx 4K USD. I’ve chosen to have it sent to Lincoln NE airport. I’ll ship a container with the rest of household goods and the Titan engine for a little more money back to Australia.  Sold the Interstate cadet subject to money going into escrow next week. The depth of USA market is astounding. Bottom of advert shows 1,200 ad clicks on Barnstormers over a few days. 4 keen buyers ready to pay. 3 of them A&P’s. 1 of them also a top Garmin guy I’ve probably talked to in the Oshkosh Garmin tent. All interesting characters. Escrow system in USA is excellent. For a small fee a company holds the funds until the aircraft is ready for delivery then funds move to sellers account.

 

Pics below. Hangar progress. When I get back to French island most of it’s done. Already started on concrete and probably 2 weeks then done. Wait a month then seal concrete and move the Sinus motor glider, RV6 and Rans S21 in. (If I’m continuing build) 

 

Pic with the S21 I’m building with Nic. We are just waiting on engine mount to come back from USA. It’s been a stuff up. USA UL agent had the mount made without allowance for the turbo. We are just waiting on it to be refinished in Florida and when it returns we will have the aircraft ready to fly very quickly. Maybe January 2024. We are of course really concerned about the crankshaft. Not sure if the twin that crashed in Florida was running the Airmaster prop. If so then we have a possible answer to the crank failure. We are running Sensenich ground adjust prop.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by Mike Gearon
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