Friday, November 28, 2003
I have an engine
It seemed to me that the engine would be one of the more difficult (and expensive) aspects of this project. So I early on I started looking into a suitable powerplant for my Flying Flea as I felt that the engine would determine the choice of Flea. I originally thought I could use a 20-ish HP unit from Briggs & Stratton, Honda or one of the more available less-expensive commercial engines (commonly used in riding lawnmowers). They were still coming in around $1,200 for a 25HP V-twin, before a reduction drive (redrive). More importantly, they were all too heavy (90lbs dry before redrive & prop). Briggs & Stratton were very helpful and sent me an e-mail strongly advising against using their engines for flying applications.
I checked with Chris Falconar, who recommends a Hirth engine, and spent much time on eBay looking for Hirth, Rotax, Kawasaki and other "bargains". After many unsuccessful bids, I came across a 30Hp 2-stroke Kawasaki from a very nice guy Andy Zeller. Andy takes in these engines from snowmobile upgrades. Since most ultralight engines are also used in snowmobiles, this too was an area I had been looking into. I was unsuccessful in my bidding but had started an e-mail dialog with Andy. He had another engine and gave me an opportunity to purchase it before he placed it on eBay. This one was a Kawasaki TA440 40HP unit, and came with electric start, manuals, carb, manifolds, and all the bits I needed for the project. All for $450. I couldn't pass up the bargain, and a recent eBay sale of a matching pair of '70's project dirt bikes (Yamaha RT360s) funded the transaction. I'm now the proud owner of an excellent power-plant ready for a plane :) Here's a pic of my engine:
In my subsequent searching for a redrive. I picked up one for a Kawasaki 440 for $51 on eBay (again!) and am now set. As you can see from the picture below, it's a large unit, taken off another ultralight. I'll have to do some modifications/chopping to make it suit, but the basics are there. A redrive unit for a TA440 would otherwise be about $450+. The redrive also serves as an engine mount, as it has a mounting platform that also holds the propeller shaft. I figure if I build it right I could create a frame that would allow adjustment of the engine placement to facilitate final weights and balancing adjustments.
This picture from the eBay listing shows another older Kawasaki 440. So, for the moment, I think I'm set for a suitable powerplant. Now I can focus on the airframe.
I checked with Chris Falconar, who recommends a Hirth engine, and spent much time on eBay looking for Hirth, Rotax, Kawasaki and other "bargains". After many unsuccessful bids, I came across a 30Hp 2-stroke Kawasaki from a very nice guy Andy Zeller. Andy takes in these engines from snowmobile upgrades. Since most ultralight engines are also used in snowmobiles, this too was an area I had been looking into. I was unsuccessful in my bidding but had started an e-mail dialog with Andy. He had another engine and gave me an opportunity to purchase it before he placed it on eBay. This one was a Kawasaki TA440 40HP unit, and came with electric start, manuals, carb, manifolds, and all the bits I needed for the project. All for $450. I couldn't pass up the bargain, and a recent eBay sale of a matching pair of '70's project dirt bikes (Yamaha RT360s) funded the transaction. I'm now the proud owner of an excellent power-plant ready for a plane :) Here's a pic of my engine:
In my subsequent searching for a redrive. I picked up one for a Kawasaki 440 for $51 on eBay (again!) and am now set. As you can see from the picture below, it's a large unit, taken off another ultralight. I'll have to do some modifications/chopping to make it suit, but the basics are there. A redrive unit for a TA440 would otherwise be about $450+. The redrive also serves as an engine mount, as it has a mounting platform that also holds the propeller shaft. I figure if I build it right I could create a frame that would allow adjustment of the engine placement to facilitate final weights and balancing adjustments.
This picture from the eBay listing shows another older Kawasaki 440. So, for the moment, I think I'm set for a suitable powerplant. Now I can focus on the airframe.
