Although I have installed the Skydrive carb heater, I still have my doubts
about its usefulness in a Europa.
The factory maintain that carb heating is not required even on the XS with
the plenum chamber and the 912s, which is supposed to be the coldest air
supply configuration to the carbs. The odd report has suggested occasional
misfires have been put down to carb icing, but no-one has reported any more
serious consequences of icing on this group.
Since my installation I have run the engine up in really cold weather to
prove that the skydrive water jacket functions per the instructions. It does!
The temp readout illustrates that everything is nice and rosy. But then, I
found that everything would have been nice and rosy anyway. The manifold was
hot! The carburettor was hot! And the water jacket around the butterfly valve
was hot. Since most of that heat was coming from the engine I am not
convinced that the Skydrive unit was contributing very much.
As I have stated on this group before, I have flown in circumstances where I
would have expected icing in other aeroplanes, and found the Rotax to hum on
quite contentedly. Until someone comes up with a positive ice induced engine
failure in a Rotax powered Europa, I will still have my doubts.
Am I carrying around two useless bits of aluminium, or are they contributing
anything? Well, they are paid for now, and they are not coming off. Surely,
with all of the awful flying weather in the UK this year, someone ought to be
able to prove that I have not wasted my time and money!
Happy Landings ....... Bryan Allsop G-BYSA
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