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Hi has anyone done this and can give me some in put , , like how hard it was and what do i need to change it over , cruise speed, clime I can expect , thanks for any information .fuel per hour ? Guy

I think Tony Lewis and Jeff Schultz both moved from Aerovees to Jabs. You can see http://www.sonex604.com/ for some more details. Jeff is on his second Sonex now and a wonderful machine it looks like.

I have a Jab so I can't comment on the cross over, but it is a whole different ball of wax. Changing engines is a good amount of work no matter what you do. You will never be burning the low GPH of an aerovee and it will cost a whole lot more to live with, but it will put a smile on your face regardless. Aerovee is better at some things (low expense, personal satisfaction), Jab is better at other (turning a lot more money into a lot more noise). Nothing is perfect!

AP

What do you get for clime and cruise ? will it worth it to me ? I beeen flying for DHL for many years to go from a 727-200 to a aerovee s a shock , being 6'2"205 lbs i need a little more get up and go do you also have the 3300 ?

Mine has a climb prop and is an old hydraulic lifter. Personally I love it. One up I get 1200-1500 fpm. My cruise is limited by my prop choice, but it goes at a comfortable 140mph, 6gph approximately. Others would do better and I am sure the later versions of the jab do better. Compared to a continental o-470 or something, they are little pieces of jewellry and need to be treated as such though. You need to manage temps on them (as you do on the -o-470!)

You need to actually go for a fly in one with a 3300 to make a sensible decision, but given you understand the expense and all that, it really makes the airplane huge fun to fly. Getting the baffling right is work because it is a lot of engine for a little space. Most people end up having to shield their fuel lines etc or get rid of the gascolator. You do lose the ability to overhaul it for small numbers that you get with an aerovee. Jabirus are not perfect either they have their mechanical issues. You might want to hang out of the jabiru forum.

Let's put it into context: Our sonex sits in a hangar. Our old 182 that we have been slowly fixing up sits on the ramp (which is wrong, but that tells you how much we love our sonex).

If you have a corvair in it (? - not sure if that is right or if I am confusing you with someone else), you might want to see what you can do with it before throwing the baby out with the bathwater and only you will know what makes you happy... YMMV!

Cheers,

Andrew

I would recommend you also look at Camit or D-motor before making the choice. I think they would have much more integrity and would be more likely to honor a problem under warranty. A few hours searching on google now can save you some headaches later.

In order to convert an aerovee to a jab you will have to replace your engine mount. If a taildragger that may mean the old gear legs may not fit the new mount correctly. The old cowl may or may not fit the new engine, certainly the baffles wont. Another option to consider is turbocharging the current aerovee. The cost for the upgrade will be a little over $5200 (including new prop and top mount oil cooler). The performance may be a little less than the 3300 but will far exceed the normally aspirated aerovee. The mount for a 3300 is 1500 to 1900 bucks and a new 3300 a little over $17000. I turbocharged mine and use a cruise prop and am very happy with 900 fpm climbs and 140 mph cruise.
If you are set on a Jab I would recommend Jeff Schultz's site. http://www.sonex604.com/

Andrew mentions never being able to fly at AeroVee fuel burn rates with a 3300 out front, But a Jabiru or CAMit 3300 can fly same speed as an AeroVee at about same fuel burn rate. However, after one ride in a 3300 powered Sonex and you will know you are not likely to want to cruise that slow. :-)

David A. Sonex TD #1327 CAMit 3300 # 0004

DCASonex wrote:Andrew mentions never being able to fly at AeroVee fuel burn rates with a 3300 out front, But a Jabiru or CAMit 3300 can fly same speed as an AeroVee at about same fuel burn rate. However, after one ride in a 3300 powered Sonex and you will know you are not likely to want to cruise that slow. :-)

David A. Sonex TD #1327 CAMit 3300 # 0004

How true. When flying along side a VW powered sonex, I have to pull back throttle to match his speed, and my fuel burn drops to what he's using. It just seems unnaturally slow and when flying alone, I don't have the self control.

How true you all are - I just never go that slow!

It really is big fun with a Jab, but I have flown in an aerovee and I enjoyed it too. Different experience.

One thing you might want to know is the Turbo aerovee outperforms the jab at high altitudes. 8K +
Compared to changing to a jab it's a low-cost easy conversion for almost the same performance at low altitude and much better performance at high altitudes.