Light Aircraft Association

Does anyone have any experience of operating this engine in a LAA type?

It seems that most of the specialists for this engine have gone out of business but it seems like a good alternative to the VW route, is this correct?

Phil

We have one at our strip in a Pietenpol. Complex installation, suspect it is heavier than ever imagined, and it has been problematic to get running well. It also seems to need high revs to produce power (it has a belt re-drive) and is noisy. If I had an aircraft that generally worked well on a VW, I'd fit a VW; if I had an aircraft that needed more power, I'd fit a 65hp or 90hp Continental. Even the owner of the Piet says he would have fitted a C90 if he had realised the aggro the Soob was going to be. My advice would be don't go there.

There's a green and white Jodel D.18 that's powered with a converted Subaru engine and this aeroplane has been flying for quite some time, nearly fifteen years. The builder of the aeroplane carried out the conversion himself and it seemed to be a reliable and smooth running engine, albeit slightly heavy due to the necessary water cooling add-ons. I had a trip in the aircraft and its performance seemed comparable to a Limbach engined D.18 that I'd flown in previously. However, and agreeing with Brian, I'd probably go with a simpler engine solution as one good conversion doesn't necessarily prove the overall reliability of the Subaru engine. Other more expensive Subaru conversions don't seem to have been anywhere near as reliable which is probably an indicator as to why those companies offering the engine no longer exist.

Yes Chris, that was G-WIBB but that hasn't been flying for a couple of years now. There is another Piet in Devon that is flying with a Subaru and reportedly flies well, but generally they have proved to be more trouble than they're worth. I'm a great fan of automotive engine conversions but if you decide to run one then you have to be aware that you are moving in very experimental territory, to some extent you are the R&D department so it isn't generally a case of simply fitting the engine and doing regular maintenence - there is likely to be continual development to do. The VW is probably an exception because it has been around for so long and the problems have been sorted, but unless you are prepared to be a development engineer you are better off sticking with the tried and tested.