Harley engine special

Jim-Ed Browne wrote:

He can't say it won't work because too many are flying. But he, and
people like him, say there's some secret boogeyman (usually it's
torsional resonance) just waiting to kill anyone who dares defy
Lycoming by not bowing down at their temple and paying up.

I don't think the boogeyman is all that secret.
I think people that fully understand the mission are
well aware of the problem areas. I just don't see many
of them working to solve it in an upfront and productive
manner.

I'm (still) not BOb, but what scares me about
auto conversions (and a lot of engine and airframe
work in general) is the lack of engineering and
valid testing that I've observed, and the tendency
to "cut to fit and fly to failure, fix it and call
it a success." That's one of the main reasons I'm
flying an RV-4 and a Lycoming.

Bash Lycomings all you want, but they are simple, well
engineered, work well, are reliable when maintained, and,
although it doesn't seem to be the case sometime, do have
a well-established quality control chain even after delivery.

Experiment where you choose, but be honest in your assessments,
and for Pete's sake, do some valid testing and understand the
results. As someone said right here not too long ago,
"The plural of anecdote is not data."

Dave 'carpe datum' Hyde