Rebuilding a 20B
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1
From: Atlanta, GA
I'm rebuilding a 20B for use in a one off experimental home built aircraft.
I joined this forum hoping to increase my availability to as much information and advice as I get get.
I currently have the engine completely torn down and partially cleaned.
I joined this forum hoping to increase my availability to as much information and advice as I get get.
I currently have the engine completely torn down and partially cleaned.
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 2
From: Austin, TX
Lucrum,
Cool, what experimental are you building? I built a Lancair ES, running a n/a 20B, of course! I have been flying it for 2 years now with 150 hours on the engine/airframe. To date, I've had it up to 220mph at 6800 rpm. It was humming along and it still had a lot more left in it at that rpm, but I typically don't run it over 7k rpm, except on takeoff where I'll see about 7200-7300rpm. Rev limiter is set to 7500. The rotary engine has been trouble free, but that's not to say I haven't had some teething problems with the installation. Cooling has been a challenge. I have it barely adequate to handle the Texas summers. Oil gets to 235-240*F on climbout, but cools down once in level flight.
Unless you're turbo-charging, you'll need a muffler. That has been another big challenge. I'm on muffler #5. The current one, a DNA from Canada, seems to be up to the job, but it isn't very quiet (gross understatement). I'm working on #6 at present, a tangential design made of inconnel.
Also, I'm currently building a 20bpp to swap out in the near future. Stay tuned.
If you haven't already done so, I recommend you join the "flyrotary" list. They're a good bunch and you can ask any "dumb" questions without being ridiculed.
LIFE BEGINS AT 200 MPH!
Cool, what experimental are you building? I built a Lancair ES, running a n/a 20B, of course! I have been flying it for 2 years now with 150 hours on the engine/airframe. To date, I've had it up to 220mph at 6800 rpm. It was humming along and it still had a lot more left in it at that rpm, but I typically don't run it over 7k rpm, except on takeoff where I'll see about 7200-7300rpm. Rev limiter is set to 7500. The rotary engine has been trouble free, but that's not to say I haven't had some teething problems with the installation. Cooling has been a challenge. I have it barely adequate to handle the Texas summers. Oil gets to 235-240*F on climbout, but cools down once in level flight.
Unless you're turbo-charging, you'll need a muffler. That has been another big challenge. I'm on muffler #5. The current one, a DNA from Canada, seems to be up to the job, but it isn't very quiet (gross understatement). I'm working on #6 at present, a tangential design made of inconnel.
Also, I'm currently building a 20bpp to swap out in the near future. Stay tuned.
If you haven't already done so, I recommend you join the "flyrotary" list. They're a good bunch and you can ask any "dumb" questions without being ridiculed.
LIFE BEGINS AT 200 MPH!
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 2
From: Austin, TX
Amp,
You can see pics of lots of different rotary a/c at www.flyrotary.com. If you click on Tracy Crook's RV-4 link you can watch a view a video of Tracy Crook running his 20B RV-8 (now flying) or see him do a roll and a fly-by in his 13B powered RV-4.
I've posted a few pictures of my 3-rotor Lancair ES. It took me seven years to get it to this stage. It is still in primer, but will be getting a nice paint job soon after I install the 20bpp.
Rotaryflier
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