baronpilot
Newbie
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2012
- Messages
- 544
- Location
- Auburn, IN
- Aircraft
- Baron B55, Bonanza V35, Brantly B2B
- Total Flight Time
- 2500
From the limited research I have done it appears that the supply of T62-32 engines is beginning to dry up and many of those that remain for sale are going for $7-$8k on an as-is basis.
I think the engine is a great fit for the Helicycle, but eventually they will dry up along with the remining NOS compressor wheels, etc. Considering that the demand for such an engine would only be a hundred or so per year I would suspect that a newly built engine would be $50k or so which is not feasible. Those that thought they could do it for less (Innodyn) ended up shutting down in the middle of the night and were never heard from again.
I feel that unless a reliable 4-stroke that is light enough to work in the Helicycle or a DI 2-stroke comes along there could be a real engine problem for the machine. The Mosquito is using a nice little 2-stroke, but you still have to deal with the mid-range power leaning problems associated with running a 2-stroke engine in a constant speed application such as a helicopter.
It is tough to beat the power to weight ratio the T62 supplies.
Any thoughts?
I think the engine is a great fit for the Helicycle, but eventually they will dry up along with the remining NOS compressor wheels, etc. Considering that the demand for such an engine would only be a hundred or so per year I would suspect that a newly built engine would be $50k or so which is not feasible. Those that thought they could do it for less (Innodyn) ended up shutting down in the middle of the night and were never heard from again.
I feel that unless a reliable 4-stroke that is light enough to work in the Helicycle or a DI 2-stroke comes along there could be a real engine problem for the machine. The Mosquito is using a nice little 2-stroke, but you still have to deal with the mid-range power leaning problems associated with running a 2-stroke engine in a constant speed application such as a helicopter.
It is tough to beat the power to weight ratio the T62 supplies.
Any thoughts?
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