Re: Light-Sport Aircraft Yahoo group 912 pre-flight video from Avweb archives

Thanks for the Lycombing/Continental correction. (I was obviously
having a brain fart when I wrote that last e-mail.) I taught full time
in Continental equipped Katana's for more than a year and in that time
had three instances of a rough running engine, one of which resulted in
an emergency landing at BWI (which is quite impressive to see with all
of the fire trucks they have at a place like that). The mechanic
explained to me that the problem is a fuel/air mixture problem for which
their is a SB or AD (I don't remember which) out that requires
adjustment every 100 hours. (I seemed to always have problems before the
100 hour mark was reached though.) The engine issues I had with those
planes made me quite nervous flying them over the Chesapeake Bay every
day as I did. I have have found the Rotax 912ULS to be a much more
comforting engine to fly behind and am glad to see them becoming more
prevalent.

Helen

On 2/5/2010 9:09 AM, thomriddle2003 wrote:
> Helen, here are a few corrections to your statements about the Katana.
>
> The Katana DA 20A-1 first had a 80 hp 912A and then F engine with Hoffman constant speed prop. Later, the 100 hp 912S engine was put in the Katana and the model number changed to DA20-100 and the name changed to Katana 100.
>
> Later still, the model name changed to Katana Eclipse and eventually just Eclipse and similar model called Evolution and are numbered as model DA20-C1. These latest airplanes had and still have a CONTINENTAL IO-240 and fixed pitch prop. Never had a Lycoming and still don't.
>
> One of the highlights of my year is doing the annual inspection on a local DA20-A1 with 912F and constant speed prop, because I get to fly it. It has an easy cruise speed of 110 knots on 80 hp and is a great handling airplane with super visibility both up and down, because the seat is in front of the main spar.... like the RV-12. It is a great airplane and I wish I owned one. There is a DA-C1 at our field too though I've never flown it but have flown in formation with him in the A1.
>
> Thom Riddle
> Buffalo, NY
> http://sites.google.com/site/riddletr/a&pmechanix
>
>
> --- In Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com, Helen Woods<Helen_Woods@...> wrote:
>
>> Coming from the certified world, I believe he was fully right on number
>> 1 (although you are right that "afraid" would have been better
>> wording). Untrained people on the certified side lump all Rotax
>> together. Look at the Diamond Katana. Totally flopped when it first
>> came over here because it had a 912S on the front. No one would fly
>> it. Even today you can pick hose up in trade a plane for virtually
>> nothing. Instead diamond had to rush a Lycombing into production (a
>> model still plagued with issues because it was rushed into production
>> for this), and then increase the fuel capacity for the new gas guzzler,
>> then increase the useful load to haul the gas, just because Americans
>> wouldn't fly behind a Rotax. Even years later I caught a story in a
>> major aviation magazine about the Katana that explained that the
>> original flopped in the US because it has a 2 stroke snow mobile engine
>> on it!
>>
>> Helen
>>
>> On 2/2/2010 9:55 PM, Bob Comperini wrote:
>>
>>> On 06:34 PM 2/2/2010, apollonorthamerica wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> I think Bob C. can comment well on that.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Ok, lets pool our observations. Mine:
>>>
>>> (1) He indicates that the 912 had a "bad reputation". I don't believe that's true at all. Yes, its true non Rotax people were probably "afraid" of the engine. Maybe that's what he means
>>>
>>> (2) When he gets in to the discussion of the carbs, he also mentions the "independent ignition systems control the left and right bank" of the engine (as opposed to top/bottom)
>>>
>>> (3) I'm not comfortable with the "two carbs in one" statement, where he talks about the "staring carb" (choke).
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Bob Comperini
>>> e-mail: bob@...
>>> WWW: http://www.fly-ul.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------
>>>
>>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>

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