Greetings to all from Kenya,
My Rotax 912UL is of early serial number, and according to the Maintenance
Manual
the TBO is 1200 hrs (assuming all service bulletins have been complied with),
and a calendar life of 15 years. From a factory-inhibited state in March 1999,
it has now done 13 years, and 560 hours, so on hours alone it could go a
lot further it runs very sweetly and compressions are amazing. But, it looks
like I am facing an overhaul in 2014, due to the calendar life.
According to the manual, the calendar life is 10-15 years, depending on engine
type (912, 912S or 914), and serial number.
So, basically, and Rotax engined Europa that first flew between (roughly) 1996
and 2002 must be looking soon at a mandatory overhaul, regardless of hours
flown.
Looking at the Europa club register, this is at least 180 aircraft worldwide.
I am interested to know what others are doing, and what the options are. I
imagine
there are three possibilities:
1. Throw the engine away and buy another. The agents in UK alluded to this,
and
seemed to be reluctant to do any overhaul to zero-time the engine, especially
if they didnt know the engine.
2. Get a factory-approved agent somewhere to do an overhaul. My nearest agent
is in South Africa, which is 3000 miles (and several country borders) away
(where
there are hundreds of 912s in operation), and I have had no replies from
any company that purports to be an agent regarding an overhaul of my engine.
3. Possibly? Return the core to the Rotax factory in Austria, and they value
it, send you a factory-re-manufactured engine, minus the value of your core.
This is common practice in Continental and Lycoming engines.
It seems a pity to ditch a perfectly good Rotax 912 engine, and spend a fortune
getting some new thing in that has the perpetual mandatory SBs that come up.
Again in UK, there is provision for Continental and Lycoming engines to be run
on-condition way beyond the standard TBO (eg 1700 hrs for a Continental 0-470).
I know of some that have run up to 2600 hrs on condition.
So, it would be good to know what others are doing or planning in this regard.
Thanks
Richard
Kenya, 5Y-LRY, Europa Classic 168.
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