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The Rotax 916 is limited to 137 HP continuous, 160 HP for 5 minutes. @tspear, I’m not “burying my head in the sand”, I’m being realistic about the market and the budgets it takes to develop new aircraft engines. In the likely commercial volume I think the price would need to be $250K per...

The problem is that in the real world you have to convince the actual market to buy what you offer, at the price you supply it. The only actual market where diesels have a chance for commercial sales is Europe, with market volume limited by current politics and economics that are killing light...

The four cylinder Rotax is a point design with small cylinders, focused on relatively low horsepower applications, initially 80 HP. In order to expand to significantly higher power using the same approach, more cylinders would be required. A six cylinder version might work at say 180 HP, but a...

There are a few people worldwide who can justify paying for diesel aircraft engines. Some of them might like to see the GA scene twist around to align with their interests, claiming that it would expand GA into places where there is little or no aviation gasoline infrastructure now. In reality...

When my wife and I got married and rearranged our lives to cohabitate, the biggest challenge of all was a 13-1/2 year old white shepherd who needed to move from one side of the world to the other. She made it, on the only direct flight between two points in the general vicinity of the origin...

An open market is ultimately not controlled by sellers, it is controlled by buyers. If you don’t like something or how it was produced, do your part and don’t buy it. Country of origin info is mandatory on products sold in the US for a reason. If you and others buy it anyway, it is you who...

I had a ride in one very similar owned by a friend for whom buying it is the pinnacle of a long flying and business progression. I paid my pro-rated share… My take-away was that the people who flew these into combat on long duration flights were exceptional people and probably paid a lifelong...

If your sincere interest is in aviation and flying aircraft, stay in the US. I am an immigrant from Europe, my wife is an immigrant from Europe (from another country) and I have an ongoing active interest in European aviation. Based on my own experiences flying there and those of airplane...

San Diego Miramar College, it's a 5 semester program. https://sdmiramar.edu/programs/aviation-maintenance-technology

N6630U (and others) were discussed in an old thread and per Flightaware it is active. In the 15 year old thread (post #12) there is mention of an unused retractable gear conversion kit. It wouldn't surprise me if it were still around somewhere...

"Right on" has come and gone at least twice ;)

You have now and they're available on line if you want one, having been the way UK student drivers are forced to broadcast their position in the driver hierarchy since the beginning of time. The British are experts at establishing hierarchy in every area of life, L-plates being a part of that...

I’m not a lawyer but I think it’s an unreasonable obstacle to the broader objectives of Congress and FAA in funding the National Airspace System and Federally funded airports that an individual would be forced to pay a several hundred dollar fee (regardless of what it buys) solely in order to...

I think that if the FAA requires an expensive STC fee to be paid long in advance to a commercial company in order to use G100UL, and if a state requires you to use G100UL even for a once in a lifetime fuel stop purchase, that a reasonable person would find that to be tantamount to impossible.

Makes no difference to me, all they have to do is see my type on Flight Aware and they know it’s me. No N-number required. Luckily I don’t have any insane ex-girlfriends or tax collectors tracking me at the moment, but I’d sure like it if the FA data (and Foreflight) included Mode C data only...

But not comparable in terms of the required octane. That is a function of cylinder bore, as well as CR, RPM and ignition/cam timing. Large displacement cylinders need more octane, with everything else held constant.

None if you’re below 75% power.

“Spotters” as they are termed still do it in Europe today, and with all kinds of planes. They then publish the photos online. In the US we see little of this because people with enough interest to go to the airport would more likely be flying themselves… except that my plane was photographed...

Repeated instances of power loss, preparation for forced landing, sometimes followed by recovery of power for as yet undetermined reasons. Bristell has put out a SB advising to avoid UL91 fuel (but its viewed as grasping at straws by some)...

I understand Bristell B23s are currently going thorough a bout of unexplained partial engine failures in Europe. Germany’s LBA, Switzerland’s BAZL and Austro Control have formed task force to draw EASA attention to Rotax 912 reliability issues that may also extend to Tecnam and Aquila planes...