Bret Ludwig wrote:

The Rotax two cycle snowmobile style engines sold for ultralight use
were upgraded versions and have fallen out of favor due to seizures,
even with liquid cooled versions. My guess is the redrives were set up
to not easily go on to the commodity snowmobile engine either. I
haven't seen a two cycle anything in the pattern over my house in
years: we had several Avid Flyers and Kitfoxes buzzing overhead in the
late 80s and early 90s. Now we have T-6s and L-39s! We've yupscaled.


We have an eclectic mix of VW and two-stroke around here.
I've flown a few of each - mostly draggy parasols (natch).

The V-dub's mighty roar is a lot of fun.
Reliability-wise, I think it depends a lot on the individual airplane.
Not just how well the thing is built, but also how well powered it is.
You see, I've come _not_ to believe in under powered homebuilts.
They are just not that much fun. Unfortunately.

I've never flown a 1600 that I was really comfortable in.
The engine blaring out 90 to 95 percent just to maintain altitude?
If you can't hear that engine straining, then you have no machine
in your soul.

The 1835 is a different story. There's enough there to throttle
back and find a sweet spot. Enough prop to climb well.
Considering what it costs to build one, the 1835 should be *the* VW.

The 2180 is a sweet thing. Loaf along at 3 GPH? Or Roar up at the clouds.
But..
Fully dressed with accessory case, Bendex mag, electric start, 20 Amp
alternator = 205 pounds? And an expensive thing by comparison.

Robert Padget (Zuehl) built a little 1/2 VW parasol that actually flew.
I never got to fly is, but I saw it fly quite often.
900 some CC. And Robert is often called Big Bob, because he is.
It flew well. Vibrated like hell over most of the RPM range.
But you kind of have to expect that.


Now, with my current medical situation, caught in the catch 22 of the
Sport Pilot rules...

I've been thinking about the smooth immediate power of a Rotax 503. Again.

Just as a practical solution to getting back in the air.
That 254 pound weight limit is a (explicative deleted) tough one.
But with a Rotax 2 stroke on it, looks like it, sounds like it, and smells
like it... fly it!



Richard