Auto Conversion Engines Used To Power Plane | Corvair 

Very well said Don, I agree with you

William is one of the good ones!

I guess those people don't understand that the Lycoming O-320 in the 40 year old Cessna 172N that they rent from the local flying school is just as old and just as worked over as the Corvair engine in this video.

That, and the people who charge 50, 000 dollars for an engine that probably costs 5 grand to overhaul.

If you want to stake your life on engines that were pieces of junk when designed go do it. Guess what - you can't pull over when in the air. Your romantic notions won't save you or your passengers.

I have a Monza sitting in my backyard lol

@@PulledPurk cool

The Corvair was the first American car sold to the public with a turbo. You can turbo the engine.

Yes. It has been done. Look up Cleanex.

In Waco, Tx, there is a retired A-4 pilot with one of these in his Sonex.

The Sonex is in the micro category. That engine is way to big. At leasr one KR-2 builder put in a Corvair engine. For the added hp, I would like it. The KR-2 could put any engine on the front that had at least 48 hp up to 200 hp. The standard Beatle engine puts out 55 hp. That's basically what you were going to fly at above 135 mph to commonly 155 mph. At altitude of 10,000 feet, drag is reduced, and not counting tail winds could show 155 mph on the indicator. GPS at 10,000 feet with a 40 mile tail wind, you could be tim e traveling and pass your destination.

I believe 120HP is the largest they currently have

Viking engine that was mentioned in the video uses Honda car engines. You would have to see what the weight to power ratio is, and make sure the air craft it's put on can handle it weight. Like he said in the video conversions have a bad rep. for this reason people just try what that can without doing the research and testing.

The 1GR FE V6 would make for a very good conversion... Good point Parker

A major issue with newer V6 engines is that most of them are fairly tall and narrow to fit sideways in a front wheel drive engine compartment. This shape is not optimal for most aircraft cowlings. It fits better if you turn it upside down, but now your oiling system just got much more complicated.

The problem is the weight, cooling system and reduction gearbox you will need to slow the prop speed to about 2600 rpm. The corvair option does away with all that leaving you a smooth, direct drive, simple and reliable installation that you will understand inside and out as you actually build the engine yourself (though you can buy completed units).

@@weofnjieofing Thanks, what about the Lexus inline 4 cylinder turbo? It's all aluminum and should be a decent candidate.

That is the JAG, an RV 6 with twin corvairs. Very neat aircraft

The key thing here is that these auto conversion engines are essentially only allowed in aircraft that are in the "experimental" category, not in the "certified" category. (That said, there are certified conversions like those used in Diamond aircraft that were originally Mercedes diesel car engines that have been significantly modified but the company went through the process of obtaining official FAA and European certification for the engines and the aircraft they are used on.) This is at Oshkosh, which is hosted by the EAA - the Experimental Aircraft Association.

@@tomdchi12 Thomas -- if and when these auto engines are certified, these engines could become extremely popular in planes. But until this arises, there will be headwinds such as use in experimental planes only. Pilots are likely to shun these engines until such a time comes about. However, thank you for your response.

Azalea Aviation (in Quitman Ga) produces a Turbocharged Corvair engine (120 hp).

There are very few piston engine aircraft that can even reach 35,000. For anything with a practical mission, you would be looking at a TBM or better. Price of entry is about 2-4million. For a Corvair engine, I wouldn't expect to spend much time above 10,000 ft, though I think the engine is amazing.

@@Shmey thanks for the info. i am only wondering, why there aren’t any piston aircraft designs available in these modern days, especially 1 or 2 seated for high altitudes!

@@prasadjonnalagedda8633 I don't know much about regulations anywhere but the U.S. Here, the simple answer is cost. To legally fly at higher altitudes, the instruments (typically an encoder tied to the transponder) must be certified to the altitude you want to fly to. Higher altitude flight requires a longer test. A longer test means more shop time. More shop time means a higher cost. I can't remember the regs off the top of my head, but I think the requirement is 24 months, so it's not a one and done deal. The good news is 35k feet seems a bit higher than necessary. I have no idea what your mission is. I'm guessing, as a low-time student pilot, you can find a plane to fit your mission. As long as you have an accessible airport that a small plane can take off from, you should have no trouble getting started. Flying to 35k feet might have to wait a bit, but you'll get there.

@@Shmey oh no, my few hrs were like two decades ago, and i am 55 now. not sure if i take the training again, but curiosity makes me sometimes to lookup at the flights and browse internet regarding them. with these recent isolations around the world, i started wondering if a cheap certified aircraft is available, it maybe nice for some middle class individuals, who are willing to own & fly them privately. because there is lot of traffic between india & nepal, and also for accessing remote communities living in mountain regions across the country- i became curious about high altitude tiny aircrafts. also, i guess, most of the governments around the world won’t be happy with individuals flying at high altitudes. anyways, thanks again for your feedback, as i am trying to educate myself a little bit regarding, if many requirements can really fit in one machine.

@@prasadjonnalagedda8633 Several issues with flying at that altitude that pretty much eliminate small inexpensive aircraft doing it. The most important are the need for cabin pressurization and the problems with operating a propeller aircraft in air that thin. You can't fly at 35,000 feet without a pressurized cabin. Those aren't cheap and designing a small aircraft that can be pressurized isn't easy or cheap. The Piper M350 is about the least expensive thing on the market that I'm aware of and it starts at $1.15 million. It's only rated to a 25,000 ft service ceiling though, so you'd have to put out a lot more cash to get into something that can operate at FL350. You're looking at a jet and that's way out of reach for middle class people.

How do you figure? Looks well designed to me.

And, if it actually WAS "sketchy", wouldn't there have been failures by now? He's been doing this for a while

It can be done but it's all about duty cycle...

Junk.

@@robertoskeetrech3206 Don't be a bitch.

Did you really listen to what was being said here though? They will sell you a completed Corvair motor if that's what you want; and it doesn't even really save you that much money to build it yourself. However, he encourages people to be involved in the build process so they intimately know the motor and can therefore be a better operator/maintainer. If that whole concept doesn't appeal to you, yeah, probably work with someone else. It's right up my alley though. DIY life!

@@kleinbottled79 true he does offer complete engines for around 1k less. There is a reason corvair isn't as popular IMO. I was going the corvair route and found myself overwhelmed with the offerings and reasoning behind everything... Then there is the corvair college.. Not an easy or moderately easy endeavor. The engine is proven, but.. There are newer and engines at a better price point.

@@DrJoeHandsome newer at a better price? What might that be?

@@jeffboatright aeromomentum similar horsepower newer model engine 10k and viking engine similar hp newer engine 12k. When I say newer engine, I'm referring to the core. At the heart of the corvair, it's still a 1960s engine. If you rebuild an engine, the core is still the core.

@@DrJoeHandsome That's true Aeromomentum looks extremely promising. But it has one thimg that sells me: FADEC! Call me dumb or whatever but which comparable engine in that power range has FADEC? Not Rotax, only UL Power does. And yeah, FADEC isn't everything but

You obviously don’t know what goes in these.

@@gammaraider 25000 $ and this price have air 13000 $ ower price.

You are the kind of guy who ends up in a smoking hole because you don't think past the end of your nose.

A good engine block is a good engine block. All the other parts are new afaik. To this day people are putting 60+ year old engine blocks into drag cars making ungodly amounts more power than ever intended for said block. If it isn't rusted or damaged in some way it's still perfectly usable.

@@kleinbottled79 ::: it’s about getting a good block and nearly new cylinder sleeve.

He doesn’t think a block can be a wear component😂

Says the guy who knows nothing about engines

If you think that’s expensive don’t get into aviation lol

It's really no longer a car engine it's been redesigned with aviation in mine everything is more Aviation proof

I was priced around $25K to overhaul a 1960 Lycoming 180HP engine. This does not include the mechanic fees and other collateral stuff needing replaced Firewall forward, guessing another $5K for that.

@@mhilderbrand7693 you pay lot ower price, stupid pay, internet and many hangar have used good condition 200hp-400hp lycoming endines can buy less than 4000$ and if want can repair all new condition less than3000$ all engine have new good and can fly next life full.

@@mattivirta suuuure u can 🙄