Airplane design.

Tater Schuld wrote:
"Bret Ludwig" wrote in message
ps.com...

Because most homebuilders today are affluent retirees and yuppies the
market has become cost-insensitive. Most designs popular today are
designed around the overpriced museum piece Lycoming engine because it
is faster and less hassle to use one.

or designed around over-rare VW engines that 20 years ago were in abundance

They're still in abundance. Get a copy of the VW magazine and you can
see that there is a worldwide VW parts industry based around importing
VW parts from every country that makes them. All the hot rod stuff is
California.


The problem with the VW is it was never designed to directly turn a
prop and a direct drive VW combines every disadvantage of LyCon direct
drive engines with all those of the VW in the car, and more. A blower
cooled VW with redrive would work, but the general perception is, why
bother?


Homebuilt aircraft have no effect on non-aircraft parts prices they
use. Even if 100% of homebuilts used VW power there would still be 10
times as many aircooled VW cars licensed in Los Angeles County as
homebuilt airplanes nationwide. I have mentioned the 3.8 Javelin Ford
to junkyard operators and Ford mechanics over the last 20 years
probably 100 times and 99 of those they'd never heard of such a thing,
were amazed anyone would fly _that_ engine, or flat out didn't believe
me.