On 9-Jan-2006, Aaron Coolidge wrote:

Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe The Sea Hawk at wow way d0t com wrote:
: In any case, there are exactly two things "wrong" with aircraft engines.
The spark timing is fixed and the mixture control is in the hands of the
pilot.
: And you can't do anything about the first problem until you fix the
second.

You are spot-on. I would argue, though, that you can't fix the second
problem until you eliminate the first.


And after we resolve the magneto/mixture knob vs. electronic
ignition/automatic mixture control issues we can discuss the fact that here,
in the year 2006, manufacturers are still making aircraft engines with
CARBURETORS! And the "advanced" engines have MECHANICAL (rather than
electronic) fuel injection!

Still, in terms of reliability and durability piston aircraft engines score
pretty well. How long would a typical Detroit V6 engine last if it was
called upon to deliver full rated power for several minutes a few times a
day, and 75% of full rated power for several hours at a stretch?
--
-Elliott Drucker