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What did you do with your Europa this week - 08/11/22

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Area-51

Joined: 03 May 2021
Posts: 396

Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2022 6:38 pm Post subject: What did you do with your Europa this week - 08/11/22

Very exciting and intense sessions at the design table all week... finished off modelling the instrument panel and interior cabin environment; adding takeoffs for fixings and control lever slots... the sticks and pedals are in along with the spaceframe... next up are the doors... the Rotax 912, 914, and 915 are all sitting there waiting to be popped in when the time comes... will move onto the rear section shortly to add the control surface mechanicals... its hours and hours of arduous and rewarding work.... learning a lot about the aircraft through the process.

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peterz(at)zutrasoft.com
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 3:10 am Post subject: What did you do with your Europa this week - 08/11/22

The 915iS has just gotta be too heavy, and being longer making it even worse. I heard 220lbs+   with intercooler etc., plus a heavy airmaster?



cheers,



PeteZ



On Wed, Nov 9, 2022 at 1:49 AM Brian Phillips <barp99(at)gmail.com (barp99(at)gmail.com)> wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		  --> Europa-List message posted by: Brian Phillips <barp99(at)gmail.com (barp99(at)gmail.com)>

 

 Hi Area 51,

 

 I see you mention a 915, I'm wondering if you have any data on a 915 in 

 a Europa, I would love to hear about it, as I am at engine decision 

 point and have assumed it would be too heavy up front to stay within W&B 

 and safe operating loads.

 

 Cheers,

 Brian Phillips.

 

 On 9/11/2022 1:38 pm, Area-51 wrote:

 > --> Europa-List message posted by: "Area-51" <goldsteinindustrial(at)gmail.com (goldsteinindustrial(at)gmail.com)>

 >

 > Very exciting and intense sessions at the design table all week... finished off modelling the instrument panel and interior cabin environment; adding takeoffs for fixings and control lever slots... the sticks and pedals are in along with the spaceframe... next up are the doors... the Rotax 912, 914, and 915 are all sitting there waiting to be popped in when the time comes... will move onto the rear section shortly to add the control surface mechanicals... its hours and hours of arduous and rewarding work.... learning a lot about the aircraft through the process.

 >

 >

 >

 >

 > Read this topic online here:

 >

 > http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=508544#508544

 >

 >

 >

 >

 > Attachments:

 >

 > http://forums.matronics.com//files/a6834e31_4b2a_4ca7_b8e0_a0238a65a4cd_200.jpeg

 >

 >

 >

 >

 >

 >

 

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Area-51

Joined: 03 May 2021
Posts: 396

Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 6:47 am Post subject: Re: What did you do with your Europa this week - 08/11/22

Agree; there are better options available offering more power with less mass up front.



Some fun for a change today, getting creative adding a few hundred grams of rigidity with an upgrade to the cockpit interface.... with the empennage shelling completed shortly will very quickly be able to re-assess the airframe in carbon construction.

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Area-51

Joined: 03 May 2021
Posts: 396

Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 8:30 am Post subject: Re: What did you do with your Europa this week - 08/11/22

Meet Lars... he is a software analyst from Hölstebro and will soon be certified to operate the undercarriage lever on his own and receive a retract rated endorsement!



Lars has only recently taken up flying on weekends, and also likes fishing for trout and going for romantic walks on the northern ice shelf to watch the pretty lights.



Being still quite new to flying Lars has a very low degree of situational awareness and prefers watching the blue dot on his ipad screen...

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peterz(at)zutrasoft.com
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2022 3:59 am Post subject: What did you do with your Europa this week - 08/11/22

….except for the concerns of Edge welded cranks (cracking), and single point of failure (FI).

Cheers,

PeteZ

 	  Quote: 	
		   On Nov 10, 2022, at 1:58 AM, Area-51 <goldsteinindustrial(at)gmail.com> wrote:

 

 

 

 Brian the Edge Performance engines are worth looking at if forward mass is a concern... the Gen4 6cyl Jabiru is said to finally be showing reliability but i would still choose Edge over Jabiru

 

 

 

 

 Read this topic online here:

 

 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=508643#508643

peterz(at)zutrasoft.com
Guest

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2022 2:35 pm Post subject: What did you do with your Europa this week - 08/11/22

Minor nit:  theoretically the 912S should get slightly better efficiency/economy than the 914 due to the 914’s lower compression ratio by necessity (iff the mixture of the 912S is properly leaned to the correct ratio as one climbs).



Cheers,

PeteZ



 	  Quote: 	
		   On Nov 10, 2022, at 5:05 PM, lantieau <Europa(at)antieau.org> wrote:

 

 

 

 These are great insights, thanks for providing details.  It does seem there are significant advantages to the 914 vs a 912S.  The focus always seems to be on maximizing speed at the cost of range. 

 

 If you're flying at high altitude with a 914 with a decent tailwind, does it make sense to pull the power to a low cruise setting to save fuel while keeping a reasonable speed?  You mention that we should expect 25 ANMPG with a 914.  What does that number look like at a reduced power setting at altitude?

 

 My thinking is that a low power cruise would allow to sacrifice some speed in exchange for more time aloft, in the end, increasing range and ANMPG.  With a 914, what is the optimal power setting/altitude to mazimize fuel economy/range assuming wind is not a factor?

 

 

 

 

 Read this topic online here:

 

 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=508652#508652

wdaniell.longport(at)gmai
Guest

Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2022 5:13 pm Post subject: What did you do with your Europa this week - 08/11/22

if youre looking for the exotic you could of course try the well proven

colombian 912 turbo...



William Daniell

+1 786 878 0246



On Fri, Nov 11, 2022, 06:34 Pete <peterz(at)zutrasoft.com> wrote:



[quote] My experience conversing with Edge’s principal over the years, fwiw, is

 that he is chock full of confidence, many good ideas but peppered with some

 critical bad ones -which he will not acknowledge, and lets his customers

 “prove him wrong”. And some have (ex: cracked/failed welded crank). Too few

 accumulated hours to tease out all that pepper.



 Same syndrome as Jan at viking (although Jan even lacks the engineering

 basics).



 Difficult to watch.



 Cheers,

 PeteZ



 On Nov 11, 2022, at 6:13 AM, Brian Phillips <barp99(at)gmail.com> wrote:



  Bud, thanks very much for your well laid out advice below, much

 appreciated, your background knowledge never ceases to amaze me.



 You have talked me out of the 915, the thought of doing all the retrofit

 work, along with the  weight issues, its just not worth it, and I would

 never finish it. I am still interested in the 912Is, & was thinking about

 the Edge 1484cc big bore kit. Your comments below about some of the US

 based big bore kits has got me thinking again. 10.5:1 CR does seem a little

 high, combined with no detonation detection feedback loop, does sound a bit

 risky. Edge performance don't play with the Rotax FI software, they supply

 a fuel pressure reg that increases the rail pressure, so the pump/s are

 working harder, again an added risk. Add to that limited operational

 history, makes the 914 look an even better outcome. As you say, 20,000

 compromises flying in close formation.



 Cheers,

 Brian Phillips.



 On 11/11/2022 4:34 am, Bud Yerly wrote:



 Pete, as you are most aware and Brian you are learning fast:



 Weight is the enemy of an airplane.  Especially the Europa, as it is a

 very compact aircraft.  If I add 15 horsepower, but it moves the CG

 forward, requires a prop extension and a constant speed prop, the CG is

 going to be somewhere around the spinner.  Now we move the battery back,

 run longer heavier cables and as much more to the rear as possible such as

 autopilots, ELTs, etc. to counterbalance the nose. The weight just keeps

 going up.  The Europa XS is 100 pounds heavier than the equivalent Europa

 Classic even with the XS fuselage module and firewall forward.  The 912

 80 HP is not a spectacular performer but will give 30 ANMPG at low altitude

 or with a leaning device at altitudes up to about 10,000 feet. Cruise is in

 the 120-130 knot range.  The 912S raised the cruise about 5 knots more.  The

 914 doubles the climb rate, ups cruise to at least 140-145 knot range at

 the same 25 ANMPG as the 912S on a tricycle gear aircraft of course.  The

 mono is faster and lighter of course.



 As I learned on modifying the 914 to fuel injection.  Customers moved the

 boost up to get more power but complained it burned more fuel.  The only

 advantage was more power with less reliability.  Fuel burn was basically

 the same at 31 inches and 5000 RPM.  So, what did I gain?  Slightly more

 power for climb but more heat to dissipate, a bigger radiator and shallow

 climb was necessary to cool.  BTU requirements are the same *for the same

 amount of power* at the same fuel air ratio and varies little with

 displacement.  Aircraft engines run at constant RPMs like a marine engines,

 so a carb is just as good as fuel injection except for altitude performance

 of a normally aspirated engine with no leaning.  The Bing stops leaning

 after about 3500 feet in the normally aspirated engine.  So, an after

 market leaning system is necessary for the high altitude flyers to

 improve fuel efficiency of the 912/912S.  The Rotax 914 is ideal for

 higher altitude operations and frankly ideal for the Europa but at a higher

 cost. I believe the 914 totally transformed the Europa into a great

 airplane. Reliability of the 914 is now as good as the 912S but as we all

 know, there are techniques and inspections required to keep it running like

 new.



 Normally a 912 through the 914 will go 1000 hours with only carb

 maintenance/oil changes.  Overspeed of the engine is an issue many ignore

peterz(at)zutrasoft.com
Guest

Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2022 2:57 am Post subject: What did you do with your Europa this week - 08/11/22

Re ULPower, following for years. Appears to be solid.  Have been trying to convince them for years now to offer a turbo’d low compression 260 (at) 130hp, as thermally a no brainer, as it has the same heads and bottom end (just shorter stroke) as their 130hp 350, but alas they don't see a market. I keep telling them they would supplant the 914 market, and steal from the 915 for those airframes who are weight limited (as the europa), being simpler and lighter etc.  instead they are chasing the larger lycoming market with their turbo 6cyl.



*sniff*



Cheers,

PeteZ



 	  Quote: 	
		   On Nov 12, 2022, at 2:12 AM, Area-51 <goldsteinindustrial(at)gmail.com> wrote:

 

 

 

 Agree with Pete regarding accumulated hours v's reliability; only time in the sky will definitively answer that one.

 

 What about UL Power? Has anybody user feedback on these? They seem like everything a Jabiru is trying to be???

 

 

 

 

 Read this topic online here:

 

 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=508738#508738

wdaniell.longport(at)gmai
Guest

Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2022 5:36 am Post subject: What did you do with your Europa this week - 08/11/22

I use up to 36” although lots of people in Colombia go up to 40”.  So yes

pretty much the same boost as a 914.



If you use a stock 912 you have to add the turbo system and airbox exhaust

etc as you would expect.   And also the oil system to feed the turbo none

of which is unexpected.  A bigger main jet is normal.     However the

gochta is that you need to change the gearbox ratio and I put in a slipper

clutch.   All of this can actually be done in a day (the exhaust and airbox

are made beforehand.)



I have a manual waste gate in this engine but in the previous one I had a

simple wastegate controller like a car



I flown with this engine since 2006 never had an issue.



The turbo is from a Renault diesel van - made by mitisubishi



Nitrile gaskets on the carbs are necessary otherwise they suck air at

altitude.



On Fri, Nov 11, 2022 at 23:16 Brian Phillips <barp99(at)gmail.com> wrote:



[quote] Thanks for that Pete, good to know. As you say, too few accumulated hours

 to build reliable predictability. At least the big bore kit does not need

 any changes to crank, which is essentially the same as the 914 with the

 same output. The lighter than standard pistons may even reduce crank

 stresses.



 I did look at the Viking options, I could be wrong but I seem to remember

 belt drive issues, recessed valves & delivery issues. I believe the crank

 fillets are smaller on auto engines compared to A/C engines, and with the

 100% duty factor can cause cracks, not sure if this applies to the suby

 though. I do have an EJ25 in my road car, 200K miles, no problems, great

 engine.



 William, your Columbian turbo does interest me, I remember you used a

 Mitsubishi turbo. Do you use it to normalize or do you actually add a bit

 more boost in?



 Cheers,



 Brian Phillips.



 On 11/11/2022 10:30 pm, Pete wrote:



 My experience conversing with Edge’s principal over the years, fwiw, is

 that he is chock full of confidence, many good ideas but peppered with some

 critical bad ones -which he will not acknowledge, and lets his customers

 “prove him wrong”. And some have (ex: cracked/failed welded crank). Too few

 accumulated hours to tease out all that pepper.



 Same syndrome as Jan at viking (although Jan even lacks the engineering

 basics).



 Difficult to watch.



 Cheers,

 PeteZ



 On Nov 11, 2022, at 6:13 AM, Brian Phillips <barp99(at)gmail.com>

 <barp99(at)gmail.com> wrote:



  Bud, thanks very much for your well laid out advice below, much

 appreciated, your background knowledge never ceases to amaze me.



 You have talked me out of the 915, the thought of doing all the retrofit

 work, along with the  weight issues, its just not worth it, and I would

 never finish it. I am still interested in the 912Is, & was thinking about

 the Edge 1484cc big bore kit. Your comments below about some of the US

 based big bore kits has got me thinking again. 10.5:1 CR does seem a little

 high, combined with no detonation detection feedback loop, does sound a bit

 risky. Edge performance don't play with the Rotax FI software, they supply

 a fuel pressure reg that increases the rail pressure, so the pump/s are

 working harder, again an added risk. Add to that limited operational

 history, makes the 914 look an even better outcome. As you say, 20,000

 compromises flying in close formation.



 Cheers,

 Brian Phillips.



 On 11/11/2022 4:34 am, Bud Yerly wrote:



 Pete, as you are most aware and Brian you are learning fast:



 Weight is the enemy of an airplane.  Especially the Europa, as it is a

 very compact aircraft.  If I add 15 horsepower, but it moves the CG

 forward, requires a prop extension and a constant speed prop, the CG is

 going to be somewhere around the spinner.  Now we move the battery back,

 run longer heavier cables and as much more to the rear as possible such as

 autopilots, ELTs, etc. to counterbalance the nose. The weight just keeps

 going up.  The Europa XS is 100 pounds heavier than the equivalent Europa

 Classic even with the XS fuselage module and firewall forward.  The 912

 80 HP is not a spectacular performer but will give 30 ANMPG at low altitude

 or with a leaning device at altitudes up to about 10,000 feet. Cruise is in

 the 120-130 knot range.  The 912S raised the cruise about 5 knots more.  The

 914 doubles the climb rate, ups cruise to at least 140-145 knot range at

 the same 25 ANMPG as the 912S on a tricycle gear aircraft of course.  The

 mono is faster and lighter of course.



 As I learned on modifying the 914 to fuel injection.  Customers moved the

 boost up to get more power but complained it burned more fuel.  The only

 advantage was more power with less reliability.  Fuel burn was basically

 the same at 31 inches and 5000 RPM.  So, what did I gain?  Slightly more

 power for climb but more heat to dissipate, a bigger radiator and shallow

 climb was necessary to cool.  BTU requirements are the same *for the same

 amount of power* at the same fuel air ratio and varies little with

 displacement.  Aircraft engines run at constant RPMs like a marine engines,

 so a carb is just as good as fuel injection except for altitude performance

 of a normally aspirated engine with no leaning.  The Bing stops leaning

 after about 3500 feet in the normally aspirated engine.  So, an after

 market leaning system is necessary for the high altitude flyers to

 improve fuel efficiency of the 912/912S.  The Rotax 914 is ideal for

 higher altitude operations and frankly ideal for the Europa but at a higher

 cost. I believe the 914 totally transformed the Europa into a great

 airplane. Reliability of the 914 is now as good as the 912S but as we all

 know, there are techniques and inspections required to keep it running like

 new.



 Normally a 912 through the 914 will go 1000 hours with only carb

 maintenance/oil changes.  Overspeed of the engine is an issue many ignore

Area-51

Joined: 03 May 2021
Posts: 396

Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2022 8:31 pm Post subject: Re: What did you do with your Europa this week - 08/11/22

Peter its not a hard task to decompress an engine for forced induction. It can be done by changing the piston crown height with another set of pistons or fitting decompression plates between either the head and barrels or between the barrel and core (the later being a better option) at the required thickness and the job is done. It comes back to how many biscuits you have in the cupboard. Compression ratio is paired with max boost; in short a lower compression ratio allows for a higher boost pressure without detonating the engine apart. There's a formula for determining all this prior to committing to a build.



Pistons can often be remachined for purpose or produced from a stock blank forging; often there is enough meat on the piston crown to safely machine off but it depends on the individual piston, the rings need to remain a nominal distance from the open bore.

wdaniell.longport(at)gmai
Guest

Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2022 5:43 am Post subject: What did you do with your Europa this week - 08/11/22

Yup - the original 2.27:1 wouldnt make the revs with the airmaster even in

Guaymaral at 8500.  My previous plane a ICP Savannah with an Ivo had no

problem with the 2.27 gearbox.  I had the ivo with the narrow blades.  The

914 gearbox is 2.43:1.



Theres a lot of experience with this conversion in Colombia - they even

claim they turbo-ed the 912 before rotax.   It could be true - you never

know with Colombia.  But in any case I wasnt the pioneer.  It’s a well

understood process.    The chap who did it for me turned up all the

required components with nicely welded stainless exhausts etc installed

them and fired up the motor.  Worked ever since no faffing about.



In any case a 914 would have probably been the way to go but Im a

cheapskate.  Or rather it would have cost me the price plus another 15%

import tax raising the price to almost USD40k.  What with labor and parts

my current engine cost USD25k.



You dont have to mess with the TCU and it retains the mechanical fuel pump

(you need an electric pump as well).  The mech pump will just about keep

you flying at 22” MAP.



On Sun, Nov 13, 2022 at 00:58 Brian Phillips <barp99(at)gmail.com> wrote:



[quote] Thanks for that Will. Clearly you know what you are doing as you have been

 running it since 2006. Can I ask, why do you need to change the gearbox

 ratio?

 Once you installed the turbo system, did you have to adjust or replace it

 to get it to absorb the power available at higher altitudes?



 Cheers,

 Brian Phillips.



 On 13/11/2022 12:33 am, William Daniell wrote:



 I use up to 36” although lots of people in Colombia go up to 40”.  So yes

 pretty much the same boost as a 914.



 If you use a stock 912 you have to add the turbo system and airbox exhaust

 etc as you would expect.   And also the oil system to feed the turbo none

 of which is unexpected.  A bigger main jet is normal.     However the

 gochta is that you need to change the gearbox ratio and I put in a slipper

 clutch.   All of this can actually be done in a day (the exhaust and airbox

 are made beforehand.)



 I have a manual waste gate in this engine but in the previous one I had a

 simple wastegate controller like a car



 I flown with this engine since 2006 never had an issue.



 The turbo is from a Renault diesel van - made by mitisubishi



 Nitrile gaskets on the carbs are necessary otherwise they suck air at

 altitude.



 On Fri, Nov 11, 2022 at 23:16 Brian Phillips <barp99(at)gmail.com> wrote:



> Thanks for that Pete, good to know. As you say, too few accumulated hours

> to build reliable predictability. At least the big bore kit does not need

> any changes to crank, which is essentially the same as the 914 with the

> same output. The lighter than standard pistons may even reduce crank

> stresses.

>

> I did look at the Viking options, I could be wrong but I seem to remember

> belt drive issues, recessed valves & delivery issues. I believe the crank

> fillets are smaller on auto engines compared to A/C engines, and with the

> 100% duty factor can cause cracks, not sure if this applies to the suby

> though. I do have an EJ25 in my road car, 200K miles, no problems, great

> engine.

>

> William, your Columbian turbo does interest me, I remember you used a

> Mitsubishi turbo. Do you use it to normalize or do you actually add a bit

> more boost in?

>

> Cheers,

>

> Brian Phillips.

>

> On 11/11/2022 10:30 pm, Pete wrote:

>

> My experience conversing with Edge’s principal over the years, fwiw, is

> that he is chock full of confidence, many good ideas but peppered with some

> critical bad ones -which he will not acknowledge, and lets his customers

> “prove him wrong”. And some have (ex: cracked/failed welded crank). Too few

> accumulated hours to tease out all that pepper.

>

> Same syndrome as Jan at viking (although Jan even lacks the engineering

> basics).

>

> Difficult to watch.

>

> Cheers,

> PeteZ

>

> On Nov 11, 2022, at 6:13 AM, Brian Phillips <barp99(at)gmail.com>

> <barp99(at)gmail.com> wrote:

>

>  Bud, thanks very much for your well laid out advice below, much

> appreciated, your background knowledge never ceases to amaze me.

>

> You have talked me out of the 915, the thought of doing all the retrofit

> work, along with the  weight issues, its just not worth it, and I would

> never finish it. I am still interested in the 912Is, & was thinking about

> the Edge 1484cc big bore kit. Your comments below about some of the US

> based big bore kits has got me thinking again. 10.5:1 CR does seem a little

> high, combined with no detonation detection feedback loop, does sound a bit

> risky. Edge performance don't play with the Rotax FI software, they supply

> a fuel pressure reg that increases the rail pressure, so the pump/s are

> working harder, again an added risk. Add to that limited operational

> history, makes the 914 look an even better outcome. As you say, 20,000

> compromises flying in close formation.

>

> Cheers,

> Brian Phillips.

>

> On 11/11/2022 4:34 am, Bud Yerly wrote:

>

> Pete, as you are most aware and Brian you are learning fast:

>

> Weight is the enemy of an airplane.  Especially the Europa, as it is a

> very compact aircraft.  If I add 15 horsepower, but it moves the CG

> forward, requires a prop extension and a constant speed prop, the CG is

> going to be somewhere around the spinner.  Now we move the battery back,

> run longer heavier cables and as much more to the rear as possible such as

> autopilots, ELTs, etc. to counterbalance the nose. The weight just keeps

> going up.  The Europa XS is 100 pounds heavier than the equivalent

> Europa Classic even with the XS fuselage module and firewall forward.  The

> 912 80 HP is not a spectacular performer but will give 30 ANMPG at low

> altitude or with a leaning device at altitudes up to about 10,000 feet.

> Cruise is in the 120-130 knot range.  The 912S raised the cruise about 5

> knots more.  The 914 doubles the climb rate, ups cruise to at least

> 140-145 knot range at the same 25 ANMPG as the 912S on a tricycle gear

> aircraft of course.  The mono is faster and lighter of course.

>

> As I learned on modifying the 914 to fuel injection.  Customers moved

> the boost up to get more power but complained it burned more fuel.  The

> only advantage was more power with less reliability.  Fuel burn was

> basically the same at 31 inches and 5000 RPM.  So, what did I gain?  Slightly

> more power for climb but more heat to dissipate, a bigger radiator and

> shallow climb was necessary to cool.  BTU requirements are the same *for

> the same amount of power* at the same fuel air ratio and varies little

> with displacement.  Aircraft engines run at constant RPMs like a marine

> engines, so a carb is just as good as fuel injection except for altitude

> performance of a normally aspirated engine with no leaning.  The Bing

> stops leaning after about 3500 feet in the normally aspirated engine.  So,

> an after market leaning system is necessary for the high altitude flyers

> to improve fuel efficiency of the 912/912S.  The Rotax 914 is ideal for

> higher altitude operations and frankly ideal for the Europa but at a higher

> cost. I believe the 914 totally transformed the Europa into a great

> airplane. Reliability of the 914 is now as good as the 912S but as we all

> know, there are techniques and inspections required to keep it running like

> new.

>

> Normally a 912 through the 914 will go 1000 hours with only carb

> maintenance/oil changes.  Overspeed of the engine is an issue many

> ignore.  The valves can and do contact the piston if oversped.  Prop

> strikes are ignored also by many STOL operators and taildragger/mono.

>

> I do a top overhaul at about 500-600 hours (gearbox, clean up the valves,

> inspect the rings/cylinders) and press on.  Repeat at 1000 hours and the

> engine is good to 1500 hours.  The cleanup of the valves restores

> compression to like new or better than new and is really a surprise when a

> 914 burps after only about 5 blades of rotation.

>

> I have no experience with the latest Edge Performance engines, but I do

> with the so called "Big Bore" engines done here in the States some years

> ago.  They do put out more power.  But for how long?  Over the years the

> stock Rotax 100 HP 912S (especially the new blocks) last and last.  Most

> of the Big Bores were back in after as short as 200 hours.  But we have

> many cowboys here in the States that just want more power but won't pay for

> it to get power *and reliability*.  I was around for the first of these

> Big Bore mods.  As Edge Performance has found out, the crank shaft, and

> many other formally robust Rotax parts are now under more stress and

> required "upgrade".  This costs money.  My hats off to them, as they

> have at least backed their engines.  In their defense, some of our

> “cowboys” here in the States are running regular car fuel.  This causes

> detonation for sure. I can’t fix stupid!

>

> If you need more power keep in mind in general you will need more gas,

> gain weight, reduce reliability, increase inspection requirements, require

> greater cooling mass, and of course add cost.  An airplane is 20,000

> compromises flying in close formation.  If you change one thing, you

> affect 20 others.  Choose wisely.

>

> Example:  Charts are scare still for the 915.

>

> 5000 RPM wide open throttle 87 KW or about 115 HP (10-20 more than the

> 914 depending on MP and TCU.) Fuel flow 27 L/hr or 7.1GPH.

>

> A 20 HP increase on N12AY (Trigear) yields a cruise speed increase of

> nearly 10-13 Kts above 10,000 feet which is better than most.

>

> However, the range in Air Nautical Mile per Gallon does not increase it

> decreases from about 25 ANMPG to 20 ANMPG.

>

> The Europa drag goes up beyond 140 Knots by a cube root for the trigear.

> The mono is much better at still basically a square root curve.  More

> horsepower doesn’t give me impressive efficiency or speed.

>

> The 914 fits easily in the Europa XS, will cool, accepts a constant speed

> prop without issue or added extensions, has a reasonable fuel burn and

> will get you to 10,000 feet in about 11-13 minutes in a cruise climb.  I

> can put out 70 to 95 horsepower continuous for cruise (typically 140-145

> for a trigear) or max speed.  Both the 912S/iS and Big Bore require the

> same octane fuel as the 914 so no advantage.  The 914 turbo takes care

> of most of the issues with density altitude, it allows the Bing to work

> ideally from cruise to max continuous from the surface to service ceiling

> (which is well above 25,000 which is our human physiological limit without

> cabin pressurization).  We know how to maintain it, the TCU has been

> modified and I can setup, troubleshoot or simply run a data dump from my

> laptop running Windows 7 through 10 without a special dongle.  I don’t

> have Windows 11 yet, but it should work also.  Carbs are easy to

> balance, and the installation manual is easy to follow.  Always follow

> the engine installation manual in conjunction with the airframe firewall

> forward manual .

>

> The 915 was never designed to fit a standard Rotax engine mount and does

> not fit most experimental aircraft firewall forwards.  Extensive work is

> necessary to retrofit the 915 to a 912/914 airframe.  The 915 is

> unmaintainable but for plugs and oil change without a “buds” system for the

> average owner to tell you what it’s doing but the troubleshooting manual is

> a bit sparce.  Much study and patience is needed as the 915 goes through

> its teething issues.  It runs lean on the ground like the 912iS and will

> overheat easily during an extended taxi out.  Automatic systems means

> you the pilot lose control.  Many 912iS owners hate the power drop off

> and find economy only comes through lower power.  They have found fuel

> burn is the same for the same speed after an engine change from the S to

> the iS.  The 915 has a similar issue with the power requirements.  It is

> not like hopping into your BMW tubo and everything works.  It is still

> like the 1980’s first gen fuel injection and turbo mods.  Today it all

> works flawlessly in our autos, but with larger cooling requirements and

> components taking up more space under the hood.  The 915 is not quite a

> plug and play engine electrically either.  Look at Sling and their

> learning curve.  The 4 place needs 140-150 HP.  The two place not so

> much.  Guys are looking hard at the difference.

>

> In summary, the Europa was designed for about 100HP engines of light

> weight.  It is fast and efficient for a 100HP 500 pound payload airplane

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