I Love My AeroVee

[Onex107]

Don't be discouraged by the few builders that cannot make the AeroVee work. It isn't for everyone. If you have never built an engine, you are treading on new ground. Yes, it's a kit. You have to assemble it. This requires some previous experience or a lot of help from builders that have gone before. You can't beat the simplicity nor the price. And, it will work as advertised if you haven't made too many mistakes. It's a learning experience to tune the AeroInjector that we all went through, but after doing that, you have gained control of your engine like no one else has ever done. Ask a Continental or Lycoming owner how he adjusts his carb and he will tell you he doesn't know anything about that but he trusts his AI to do that during the annual inspection.. You are an experimental aircraft builder, who do you trust? It's a big responsibility to build, and fly an experimental airplane. Not as simple as it sounds. Turn it into a learning opportunity and don't expect perfection and you'll do O.K.

[vernd]

Very encouraging. Good to hear some of the positive experiences with the Aerovee. Thanks for sharing.

[lutorm]

I wouldn't say I "love" my Aerovee (I'll reserve that for my 1-day old child! :-) but despite all the issues I've had I don't think there's anything flawed about the basic design. I do however think that the kit consists of a lot of aftermarket VW parts with fairly loose tolerances and that some people just end up with an engine that works a lot worse (or better, but those guys are out flying and not posting here... ;-) than average by sheer luck. I believe you can maximize your chances of success by not leaving anything to chance during assembly. Verify everything and, if something's not right, don't hesitate to either contact the supplier or fix it yourself. The "How to rebuild your Volkswagen air-cooled engine" book is a good reference that contains a lot more details than the Aerovee assembly manual (and is referenced in it under "additional resources".)

[gammaxy]

I've flown about 8 enjoyable hours in my Aerovee Sonex in the last month. This includes two flights across the state and some sightseeing flights around the local area. I hope to fly again tomorrow. I suspect my airplane flies more than most of the other airplanes at my field.

I expect there's many other Aerovees out there flying around that you don't hear much about on the internet. It's not a perfect engine, but I think someone who researches and knows what they are getting in to can be satisfied with the engine for years.

[mike.smith]

I now average about 90 hours a year on my AeroVee. I do love the simplicity of the engine. I carry a tool kit with me when I travel. If I take along a rear oil seal then I can "almost" rebuild the engine with the tools I have on hand. I should know; I built mine once and rebuilt it twice (once to replace the Nickasil cylinders and once due to a prop strike). If the little VW were capable of 100 hp without a turbo, that would be just about ideal. What's lacking in a VW is horsepower, but that's just the design of the basic engine, and not a fault. I knew what I was getting when I ordered it, but that doesn't mean I can't covet another 20 hp!

As for the AeorCarb, once I settled on the correct needle I no longer make any seasonal adjustments. I can make all the adjustments I need with the mixture knob. It's dirt simple and works flawlessly for me.

[Gordon]

I Love My AeroVee..........??

I hope you are right about many more "VW drivers" that love their AeroVee's that are hiding in the shadows. This is my first experience with the VW engine (only have Lycoming and Continental experience). I have the Hummel 2400....yet to be flown. With all the negative posts on the VW I am starting to get a little "gun shy" about the VW's in general and I haven't even flown mine yet.

How about the Revmaster and Hummel guys? I would love to see some feedback from those guys.....the good, the bad and the ugly. Any of you guys care to share some of your experiences with the rest of us?

Gordon.....Onex.........Hummel 2400

[pfhoeycfi]

This is a good thread. I hope to take delivery in a week or so and get started. I was attracted to Sonex because of my past experience with VW conversions. My S-IIL weighed in 519 empty and was powered by an 1835 cc VW (w MEA conversion "stuff"). It was simplicity at its best, no electric system...just a single mag, RPM, oil prs and oil temp. A clear plastic tube served as my fuel gage. When it was warm out, maybe 3 pulls to start. When it was cold out, 20 minute preheat from my Chevy S10 heater and then a few pulls. It just worked, and it kicked %$!. The guys I hung with flew 1835 max. Some of the S-1 guys flew smaller engines. Some guys flew junkyard cores. The drill back then was to keep the airplanes simple and light as possible. Weight was everything. They worked.

peter

[NWade]

With all the negative posts on the VW I am starting to get a little "gun shy" about the VW's in general and I haven't even flown mine yet.

Gordon - I debated a lot before replying to this post, and I'm trying not to "poison the well" so I will not go into all the gory details in public. But my experience with a VW engine kit so far can be summarized like this:

I used to be involved in auto-racing (both NASCAR and SCCA), and I've assisted with some 4-cylinder and V8 engine builds. I am by no means an expert, but I understand engines and am not intimidated by them. From that experience and in my opinion, there's no reason why a VW-conversion engine won't work as a simple and effective aircraft powerplant. There *are* differences, however, between the various purveyors of conversion engines and kits.

With any of the VW conversions that don't come to you as already assembled and test-run, you need to treat it like a second "homebuilt" project you are taking on. Regardless of the sales literature or the webinars you've seen, treat a VW "engine" as just a bunch of parts that have been conveniently repackaged and shipped to you in fewer boxes. Nothing more, nothing less. Do NOT assume that those parts have been checked or inspected by the people you bought them from - it is quite possible that even "brand new" components were sourced by 3rd parties, stocked on a shelf without being opened, and then shipped to you. If you blindly assume the items are good and assemble the engine, you risk using mis-machined parts, installing items that have been substituted by 3rd parties without the engine purveyor's knowledge, or having items that are used/corroded (either through a stocking mistake or due to fraud somewhere in the supply chain). And yes, sadly I can speak from personal experience on all 3 of those.

Therefore, if you buy an engine or engine-kit you need to learn how a VW engine works, understand what the proper tolerances are, and what a "good" part should look like for every engine system/component. Treat it as another "homebuilt" project you're doing from the ground up. You should not assume that every part given to you is correct and that you simply have to follow a manual to result in a safe and properly functioning engine. Its true that many have people have blindly assembled a VW conversion and wound up with GREAT engines! As I said, the products appear to be solid when every component is correct and they all come together properly. But other people have had very different results, so the only way to be sure is to ignore the marketing and sales claims of these things being sold as "Engines", or to think that they require no knowledge of Engines or the VW in particular. Treat them as buckets of parts that you're buying as a bundle, instead of trying to source from 12 different suppliers yourself. The requisite knowledge is not hard to learn and anyone with average mechanical skills can do it - but you have to go into it with your eyes open and a willingness to spend the time and effort to learn. Again: You must take responsibility for understanding and inspecting each and every thing yourself or your risk frustration and a powerplant with questionable reliability.

Now that I've assembled and run one, if I were to do it over I would strongly consider buying a complete and running engine instead. Knowing that someone with expert VW experience assembled the parts and ran them at their facility is a lot more confidence-inspiring (and a lot less frustration-inducing) than finding out that I've been shipped a bunch of parts that no one inspected before sending them out to a customer.

Take care,

--Noel

[Fastcapy]

This thread sponsored by Sonex Aircraft! Lol

I don't mind my aerovee now that I have changed the heads, put better ignition system components in it, changed the intake elbows, got rid of the cheap air filter and put on a decent K&N, changed the baffling, made the cowling exit way larger than designed for better cooling, added an adjustable oil pressure plunger, etc, etc.

The biggest, most noticeable and best change I made was switching over from the red menace to the Rotec TBI.

Now I actually will take it on a trip from Oshkosh to Cedar Rapids to see my son at college. I still don't trust it 100% but I will at least leave the Oshkosh class D with it now, whereas before all the changes I didn't want to go farther than my friends were willing to drive with a trailer!

I have heard the factory say it is a "tinkerer's" motor. I would say it is a bit more than that, but they are at least telling buyers not to expect to bolt it on and just fly it. I used to feel like I spent 3 hours "tinkering" with the motor for every hour of flight and my hangar neighbors always ave me crap about the cowling being off more than on. But then again I've been told by the factory I'm "too picky" on how it runs and I "just need to go fly the damn thing"... Safety first!

Also, what Noel said is spot on!

[daleandee]

The biggest, most noticeable and best change I made was switching over from the red menace to the Rotec TBI.

Now I actually will take it on a trip from Oshkosh to Cedar Rapids to see my son at college. I still don't trust it 100% but I will at least leave the Oshkosh class D with it now, whereas before all the changes I didn't want to go farther than my friends were willing to drive with a trailer!

Also, what Noel said is spot on!

I agree that Noel's post above is excellent and I wish we had a like button for times like this. Some may think I have a problem with VW engines but I don't (I have '74 Beetle that is very reliable). I believe they are excellent engines but I also believe that when they are put on a heavy airplane, that is heavily loaded, on a warm day with high density altitude, they are being asked to do something they are not designed for and that is where they get a bad rap. Another poster noted about building light ... and that is the secret to VW power IMHO. My heartburn and the personal opinion I was absolutely excoriated for was with (as Mike refers to it) "the red menace." I won't go there anymore but don't confuse my dislike of those with the VW. VW's are fine engines if they are (as Noel sets forth) built with care and not overworked in a too heavy aircraft.

I almost blew coffee out of my nose when I seen this:

I still don't trust it 100% but I will at least leave the Oshkosh class D with it now, whereas before all the changes I didn't want to go farther than my friends were willing to drive with a trailer!

I used to feel that way when I had a two stoke on my Challenger! LOL

The other thing I insist on is that my airplane run at least as well as the truck I drove to the airport. Skipping, bogging, surging, burping, hiccups, and all the other things that some folks fly with and say ... "it's OK ... it does that sometimes" ... ain't for me.

Dale Williams
N319WF @ 6J2
Myunn - "daughter of Cleanex"
120 HP - 3.0 Corvair
Tail Wheel - Center Stick
Signature Finish 2200 Paint Job
168.7 hours / Status - Flying
Member # 109 - Florida Sonex Association