I have been in the process of installing Jason's engine on my
Europa..N6125A trigear now for close to a year. That does not mean
that there are problems with it. During that year, I have sold my
home, put the plane in storage, built a new home and shop, taken the
plane out of storage and also gone back to work full time, temporary!
In spite of all that, the install is almost complete. There have been
a few issues such as one exhaust mainfold pipe that almost is in
contact with the front of the cowel and other small things which are
only to be expected with the first intall of this engine in this
airframe. I have yet to determine the proper location of the
intercooler and mount it. I hope to have the install pretty much
completed in the next week or two and then am planning on having Jason
come to my place for the first engine start and final computer tuning
as I am really much of a beginner in the whole concept of fuel
injection, but have been learning a lot. Isn't that what homebuilding
is all about anyway? I am really quite impressed with the engine and
what I expect to have when it is all finished. I have the Quinti
variable pitch prop that is rated for up to 160 HP that should work
well with th engine. I flew the plane two years ago with a 912 UL and
am amazed at how it flies and handles. However, my home field is at
5800 ft. elev. and the surrounding mountains require 10,000 ft or
higher to get out of the valley and the 912 was just not enough to
handle it, especially at high density altitude. I am looking forward
to getting back in the air and will be glad to report back on
performance as I am able.
Curtis
On 5/12/09, ALAN YERLY <budyerly@msn.com> wrote:
> Craig,
> Not for aircraft. Just the auto gyro which is running at normal 5-7 gph
> depending on throttle setting. What we high speed aircraft are looking for,
> is savings at altitude where the Bing really doesn't hack it. Low altitude
> won't be that much of a difference. As we see in autos, the fuel flows for
> a fuel injected engine are slightly lower than the same engine in its carbed
> version. My biggest concern is getting a prop to absorb the extra power.
> If you crank the boost down to 3-4 psi (40 inches of MP) verses 5 psi (55
> inches), no problem. Crank the boost up and the gas goes out the back and
> the prop must be cranked to a very high pitch to absorb the power, which
> cuts efficiency. With the Europa limited to 64 inches of prop (66 max, but
> watch that nose pant), even the Airmaster will be maxed out trying to absorb
> the power.
>
> Personally, a Europa at 34 inches of boost is pretty economical (from normal
> Rotax 914 experience). Right now the guys using the Jason Parker engine are
> low and slow types (Just Aircraft, Auto Gyro, Titan Tornado, Kitfox) so they
> don't care because their airframe is so draggy, they want takeoff power for
> high field elevations and mountain crossing ability. Most of us want the
> cruise performance and low maintenance.
>
> I am looking for the typical 8- 10% fuel savings fuel injection gives, so
> figure a normal 6 gph will be more like 5.5. With our tank it only makes
> 20-30 minutes difference in cruise time. See the SDS website
> http://www.sdsefi.com/<http://www.sdsefi.com/>. The fuel map done on the
> RV-6 with a Subaru, which is a notorious gas hog (I've flown two). The
> O-320 conversion flies at 6.5 gph verses a normal 8 gph, when leaned, and an
> O-200 at about 4.85 verses 5.5 to 6 with the carb. Not bad, so 10% is
> reasonable for a normally aspirated engine.
>
> The nice thing about the turbo is it is inter-cooled, so more efficient. No
> operational altitude restriction on the engine. It has adjustable boost so
> you can save your engine and fly what I called turbo normalized with just a
> few inches of boost and the longevity of the engine will be much improved,
> more like a 912 than a 914. I also like the shorter muffler, which allows a
> more esthetic exhaust pipe exit for the creative builder. The alternator on
> the rear makes maintenance of the belt a snap. No prop removal, and any
> Denso will work. Like any other alternator, do put an over-voltage
> protection device on it as it puts out 55 amps and if the internal regulator
> goes out it can fry your electrics. Jason even manufactures a mount ready
> to bolt to the gear frame of the Europa (about two inches shorter because
> his ring mount is slightly farther aft for the alternator) so the footprint
> fits our cowl nearly perfectly. EFI does require competent wiring skills.
> Use good quality PIDG connectors and ensure proper strain relief. One bad
> ground and the system is dead. Two fuel pumps is a must, and a backup
> battery for one system may be useful. Finally, there is the safety of
> knowing the SDS electronics will retard the spark and fuel flow to prevent
> over speed and or over boost. If the waste gate sticks on my 914, it will
> over boost and as others have found, blow a cylinder or two. If my next
> deal doesn't work out I will probably take the top off my 914 and put on
> Jason's system and hook the vacuum dash pot to the existing turbo arm.
>
> We will have to wait for the Europa owners to get flying and see what the
> actual fuel flows for our plane and prop combinations are.
>
> I just spent two days troubleshooting another 914 with problems. Good news
> is my DOS programming skills came back, and the electronic troubleshooting
> program didn't tell me a thing about how to tweak the engine back to working
> normal. With the SDS EFI it works or it doesn't. Once the engine is mapped
> (which Jason's done) just check you have oil pressure, fuel pressure, spark,
> and fire it up, it will run.
>
> Just my opinion. But I'm biased.
>
> Bud
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: craig bastin<mailto:craigb@onthenet.com.au>
> To: europa-list@matronics.com<mailto:europa-list@matronics.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 6:27 PM
> Subject: RE: Europa-List: 914 Fuel Injected Update & Opinion
>
>
> Just wondering if you got any fuel useage figures, and whether there is
> any significant difference
> in cruise flight useage.
> -----Original Message-----
> From:
> owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com<mailto:owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com>
> [mailto:owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com]On Behalf Of ALAN YERLY
> Sent: Wednesday, 13 May 2009 8:04 AM
> To: europa-list@matronics.com
> Subject: Re: Europa-List: 914 Fuel Injected Update & Opinion
>
>
> If you don't have an engine yet for your project, consider this:
>
> At Sun 'n Fun, I talked with Gunter Rund, an Auto Gyro owner, using
> Jason Parker's fuel injected Rotax 914 with intercooler. He is enthusiastic
> about it's smooth operation over the entire range and throttle response. He
> has nearly 100 hours of trouble free operation so far. These 914s use
> military technology from the Predator Drone program, and Jason converts them
> to fit the experimental market. The engine footprint is virtually the same
> as a stock 914 for tractor operations (turbo underneath) and pusher
> operations (turbo on the top for bed mounting). In the past, Jason's
> engines required some skill and attention to detail that limited me from
> being comfortable with the setup for just anyone to install. Now that the
> engine is in its fourth generation and is set up for user friendly
> installation, it looks like a winner.
>
> My involvement, to be honest, has been to give advice on engine mounting
> and footprint. I insisted the engine must fit as close as possible to a
> stock 914 setup. I spent a number of hours with Jason over the last two
> years making the engine fit the Europa and finally it is as close to plug
> and play as you can get.
> He has gone to a fuel system similar to a Lycoming or Continental
> engine. It has a fuel block on the top side of the engine with both the
> supply and return lines flared for AN6 fittings. Just install an AN fitting
> on an Aeroequip hose with fire sleeve and the firewall forward is as safe as
> you can make it. Of course you must follow the instructions as your fuel
> filters and fittings must hold up to 40 psi, so, no cheap fittings or
> hardware shortcuts South of the pumps can be tolerated. He's moved the
> engine wiring to the bottom side of the manifolds and fuel rails, and
> properly secured them to make the engine very easy to inspect and very neat
> looking. The computer (or computers for redundancy) for the electronic fuel
> injection should be protected, although they are set up for cowl
> installation (the SDS Fuel injection system is normally used under the hood
> in racing) and all the sensor wiring is plug and play. Each engine is run
> by him and the fuel map setup programmed. The SDS programming is a breeze
> also, plus you can adjust mixture ratios on the fly based on your fuel
> octane by a knob on the panel. (Although this knob should have a resistance
> lock on it to prevent inadvertent actuation by a grandson with fast hands.)
>
> He says he is wiling to sell the 914 turbocharged and intercooled
> engines for $21000. That's a bargain.
>
> Although I have spent time and money to help develop the idea, I do not
> make sales commissions from his engine sales, I just want to see the idea
> become a reality because of the great success of the military version of the
> 914, and selfishly, I plan to use one on my next project to give me some
> better options for efficient operations at altitude. I just introduced him
> to the right people and added my inputs, as other manufacturers and dealers
> have, in an effort to make his product ideal for the experimental market.
> Besides, tuning carbs and needing DOS computer programs to maintain an
> engine today seems archaic.
>
> See his new website at:
> http://www.extremeaircraftengines.com<http://www.extremeaircraftengines.com/>
>
>
> Bud Yerly
> Custom Flight Creations.
>
>
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