>Jeff Scott wrote: >I do expect for them to have occasional issues, but I don't EVER expect one >of them to have a complete failure in flight.
I have been burning holes in the sky since 1976 and have flown behind countless different certified engines. Personally, I never had an issue in the air where one completely quit except in a Warrior and that was induced by me. I was doing severe unusual attitudes and sucked the fuel right out of the carb. At least that is what I suspected since when I leveled her out she started right back up. I did have an engine in a Cessna 182 crap out on me as I was powering up for the take off roll but a new set of plugs fixed that. However, I have seen many reports of engine failures in certified aircraft including broken cranks which brought the plane down. I am not getting into a pissing match here but anything mechanical can and will fail sooner or later. There is not a mechanical part made that has a life of infinity. You mention things like a spun bearing. Maybe that did not stop the engine but it is a failed part. We should hope and expect our engines to reach TBO so that we can repair and replace any failed parts found. I do not think anyone should get so complacent as to think that their engine will never completely fail in flight. If you do feel that way then I suggest the NTSB accident reports as some good reading. The Corvair engine is by no means a bullet proof engine and may never be. I admit that every time I take off I wonder if I will encounter a problem. After all, I have had five engine outs with the Corvair and I have been very lucky to make it back to an airport every time. When I started flying behind the Corvair I too didn't EVER expect to have a complete failure in flight but I did...five times. So, is my engine perfect now and will I never have another problem...I doubt it. Maybe I should just switch over to an 0-200. Mark Jones (N886MJ) Stevens Point, WI E-mail: flyk...@charter.net Web: www.flykr2s.com
