Owning and operate a Sonex. Cost calculations...

[radfordc]

Is it 500 hours for the AV engine?

I have read about the Corvair (about $11k) with 100hp, TBO 1500 hrs (cost ~$1100)...it sounds more convenient even of the new AV Turbo...

There is no established TBO for the Aerovee engine.

Who says the Corvair has a TBO of 1500 hours? How do they prove it? I wonder what Mark Langford has to say about that?

I think the Corvair is a good engine choice, BTW.

[rizzz]

Thanks Guys.

I have been tuning some of my calculations based on your feedback. I will share in a few days.

About the AeroVee engine...as radfordc said the overhaul should be every 500 hours. Do you all have experience with this? Does the AeroVee last that long? And...how many "overhauls" can we put on it before we need to buy a new engine?

A major overhaul is pretty much a new engine. Replace crankshaft, pistons, cylinders, bearings, valves, pushrods, lifters, and maybe cam shaft. The only thing left is the case, heads, and the accessory parts.

The magnesium Type 1 VW cases (as used by AeroVee, GP, RevMaster & Hummel) don’t last that long either.
The magnesium alloy tends to work harden over time making it brittle and prone to cracking.

Opinions on how long a magnesium case lasts vary but on the VW forums they seem to indicate cracking will occur anywhere between 500 and 1000 hours.
You can replace the case with an aftermarket aluminium case which will pretty much last forever but does add about 25lbs in weight. (Even if you do somehow manage to crack an aluminium case, it can usually be welded).

Depending on what crankshaft you have you may get over 1000 hours out of it.

[Judoka5051]

Well, this is going to fly in the face of conventional thinking, but... I have only liability insurance that's required by the hangar agreement. If I had my own hangar I wouldn't have any insurance. First of all, they typically don't cover the most likely time that you'll need it, flight testing! Second, insurance is a business, and they want to make money. If they can find a legal way out of paying, you might still be out of luck. Lastly, at the rate they're charging, I can probably do the repairs for less than the premiums. Unless I do a "Lawndart" in which case I doubt my corpse will care. My insurance through EAA/Falcon is $300 a year for a Kitfox IV with a GPAS VW, and $550 a year for an RV8A. Fire away, flame suit on!

Lance

[daleandee]

Well, this is going to fly in the face of conventional thinking, but... I have only liability insurance that's required by the hangar agreement.

Lance

No Flames from me! I didn't have insurance at all during my first 20 hours and then bought liability only through Avemco. Being a newbie tail-wheeler doing flight testing on an experimental made it interesting to get insurance. I purchased liability insurance for anyone that I might fault or injure and have carried it since. I think it's smart and responsible to cover those that will fly with me. I pray I never need to use it!

As for the aircraft, my thoughts are that I built it and so I could rebuild it if necessary. Of course a prop strike or bending a spar could get into some serious cash! Perhaps I'll look into adding hull coverage if the price is right. At the time I purchased my liability I asked about the cost of full coverage and had to decline.

Dale Williams
N319WF

[Rynoth]

Insurance is not mandatory (unless it is required by other agreements, like Lance's hangar contract.) I fly a Pilatus PC-12 that is uninsured, the (wealthy) owner chooses to take on the risk.

Personally, I'll probably get a token amount of liability insurance. For me it's less about covering my asset than preventing a complete financial meltdown should something bad happen.

[fastj22]

I got USUA (United States Ultralight Association) liability coverage from First Flight for $450. $1M and does not cover passengers. But if I hit a school bus full of nuns or taxi into a Gulfstream, they get the first million.

[LarryEWaiex121]

I'll chime in on this little discussion because I always find it interesting how folks come about their operating costs.
For my Waiex with Jabiru 3300 power I have listed the following costs and even this list is not all inclusive.

1. fuel- $35 hr.
2. engine $15hr. based on $15,000 rebuild cost for mid-time top and total rebuild in 1000 hrs operation. Estimate on all fronts.
3, hanger $25 hr based on $250 month, 10 hrs per month
4. insurance $9 hr $1050 annual premium, 120 hrs use
5. Basics $8-10 hr Tires, tubes, oil, filters, rotors, caps, plugs, egt, cht senders. Everything has a limited life.

My personal estimate is my costs are $94 per hour of flight time. I've been averaging just over 130 hrs per year since first flight and my wallet seems to be missing $9,000 a year roughly. Approximately 1/3 the operating costs for a modern Cessna 182 flying the same operational hours.
Obviously the plane is not nearly as capable but darn near as quick on a short haul of 2 hrs or less. I'd bet on a typical flight I'd show up no more than 8 minutes behind a shiney new 182.

Larry

[vigilant104]

Personally, I'll probably get a token amount of liability insurance. For me it's less about covering my asset than preventing a complete financial meltdown should something bad happen.

The other thing you get for that price: good lawyers from the insurance company who will fight tooth and nail on their (and coincidentally your) behalf if anything should happen.

[radfordc]

Well, this is going to fly in the face of conventional thinking, but... I have only liability insurance that's required by the hangar agreement. If I had my own hangar I wouldn't have any insurance. First of all, they typically don't cover the most likely time that you'll need it, flight testing! Second, insurance is a business, and they want to make money. If they can find a legal way out of paying, you might still be out of luck. Lastly, at the rate they're charging, I can probably do the repairs for less than the premiums. Unless I do a "Lawndart" in which case I doubt my corpse will care. My insurance through EAA/Falcon is $300 a year for a Kitfox IV with a GPAS VW, and $550 a year for an RV8A. Fire away, flame suit on!

Lance

No flames here...I also only buy liability insurance that is required by the airport.

I imagine it would cost me something on the order of an extra $700/yr for full hull coverage. So far I've flown 8 years without an accident so I now have $5600 in my "accident fund" if it's needed. That should cover most major repairs short of a total loss.