Mark wrote:
>I didn't say you couldn't make an automotive engine run cool and be
>reliable. People do it every day, but if you think it's not working a lot
>harder than the automotive counterpart, you are in the minority...
Air-cooled engines are at there best when run at one speed or close to it.
Your comment was that car engines have an easier life as compared to being
installed in an airplane. I say they have an easier life in a plane. They're
being operated more intelligently by pilots, not like car drivers. Running
an air-cooled engine at almost full power all the time isn't necessarily
hard on the engine if it cools down properly and has good lubrication. My
point was that with cars the constant stopping and starting, heating and
cooling, down shifting, running the air-cooled VW engine in artic
conditions, (which we get here from time to time), lugging it, going around
corners with the oil sloshing to the side of the sump and uncovering the oil
pickup tube, causing zero oil pressure, infrequent oil changes (which I
avoid and I know that many people don't). In general, lousy maintenance.
It's things like that which make for tough conditions for a VW engine in a
car. True it is working harder all the time in a plane as compared to a car,
but so what. Aircraft engine operation is like stepping on the gas in a car
and accelerating all the time. That what they're designed to do. Just like
the Corvairs their duty cycles are very close to the Continental and
Lycoming engines which makes them very adaptable to airplanes. Just my
opinion.
-Joe
