Airplanes with Corvair motors...

Tanks, Boats, Planes, Trikes, and...?
mamavair
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Location: Englewood, FL

Airplanes with Corvair motors...

Post by mamavair »

I have notice a few Corvair fanatics on here that also like to fly their own planes. It also appears that someone else has posted about using a Corvair motor in an airplane application. I just thought I would share this link as it might be an interesting read for some of you :)

http://www.flycorvair.com/hangar0607.html


I am not sure if this is the same guy that is just up the road from me in Venice that uses Corvair motors in aircraft...apparantly it's a good buisness. Even though I am not very mechanically inclined, and from what I have learned over the last few years, using a Corvair motor in an airplane makes a lot of sense to me.
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God.favored
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Re: Airplanes with Corvair motors...

Post by God.favored »

Cool website! The more I look at these the more it makes me want to build one!
Smitty
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Re: Airplanes with Corvair motors...

Post by Smitty »

The cranks break after about 300 hrs. As a pilot, I will never fly in an airplane with an automotive engine. Lost a friend with a Subaru engine in his A/C.
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UNSAFE
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Re: Airplanes with Corvair motors...

Post by UNSAFE »

The cranks break after about 300 hrs. :banghead:
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As a pilot, I will never fly in an airplane with an automotive engine
Would you fly this ? ::-):
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Lost a friend with a Subaru engine in his A/C.
Sorry !


Wthen when I was a kid my dad had a Cessna 182 that he leased to a local flying company that rented it out to qualified pilots. It threw a rod when they were buzzing a beach and it crashed and both occupants were killed.
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Kevin Willson
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valkry9
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Re: Airplanes with Corvair motors...

Post by valkry9 »


:clap:
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66vairguy
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Re: Airplanes with Corvair motors...

Post by 66vairguy »

For years the experimental/homebuilt folks looked to building their own engines because small aircraft commercial aircraft engines are EXPENSIVE.

ROTAX started out as a supplier of light/small aircraft engines for the hobbyist and now has moved into selling certified engines. Durable and cost effective.

Having dual engines adds to security, but the costs are considerable and usually only warranted if you do a lot of open water or night flying.

A good flight instructor will make the student aware that you plan for an engine failure from the time the tires lift off the runway until they are on the runway at landing. Sully Sullenberger can attest to that.
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Phil Dally
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Re: Airplanes with Corvair motors...

Post by Phil Dally »

Corvairs were never intended to leave the ground...except in a sandrail.
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Wittsend
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Re: Airplanes with Corvair motors...

Post by Wittsend »

Regarding the crank breakage. There is a "Fifth Bearing" that is available for the Corvair engines. I just know of it but don't know if that has alleviated the problem. You Tube has a lot of Corvair College videos for those interested. I asked on the other Forum a while back about cross collaboration between the plane and car people but it seems they are two different worlds in different orbits.

-As a Pinto owner and a resident of Ventura County The Mizar "Flying Pinto" has a connection to me. The short story is that there was an attempt to attach wings to a Pinto and make it fly. It did - sort of. The designer/builder crashed in Oxnard, CA (relatively near to me) and sadly lost his life. This wasn't just some garage hack, he was an engineer.

There were two Mizar car/planes. One was a prototype for testing that never flew. It was brought to the big Ford meeting at Knott's about 15 years ago and I got an opportunity to sit in it. The family of the designer also came to see the car. The individual that possessed the car got it from Galpin Ford. I heard that for some reason it was eventually returned to Galpin. The owner at the time I saw it has since passed away. So, I don't know the status of the car.
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