Dwight,
Most of the Europas flying and in build state, as you
know, are Rotax powered or planned. There are,
however, quite a few with Jabiru and Subaru, and even
some unique powerplants like Wilksch aero-diesel and a
BMW R1100 motorcycle engine.
The certified version of the Europa - the Liberty XL-2
( http://www.libertyaircraft.com/ ) I think will have
the option of a FADEC controlled IO-240...so it should
be doable on both fit and weight & balance. I believe
the major differences between the Europa and the
Liberty are that the Liberty has non-removable aluminum
wings and the Continental engine.
Honestly, I don't think engine reliability is the major
concern with most of the builders, but more of cost and
power rating. Rotax, Jabiru, VW, and Subaru have all
proven themselves in many other planes over the past
several years and decades.
I also think the ceiling would be a bit higher with the
914 and a good CS prop. I think when John Hurst
(Europa USA) flew the factory demo plane with the
glider wings, he made several hops doing around 175
knots just below jet routes...and I think that is with
the non-turbo 912 - not bad for a motor glider!
Remember that the 914 is the same engine in the
Predator drone and they fly it at altitudes around FL
250, so I think it would really depend more upon your
personal willingness to be up there (I plan on going up
there with my 914 powered mono-wheel, O2 bottle and
pulse-ox sensor)
Looking at the info for the Pulsar, it shows the
cockpit at 44", where the Europa is currently at 44"
and with a mod can be altered to 45", so that is
comparable. The door sill is the narrowest point, so
if you are taller than I am (at 5'6"), you may get
different left arm movement (the sill meets my left arm
at the DPT vaccination scar).
Pulsar lists the 100 with a Rotax 914, and stated max
speed is 208 MpH, but does not say at what altitude,
atmospheric conditions or type of prop...so again it
looks comparable to the Europa 914 which lists 200 MpH
TAS at 10K ft at 75% thrust.
Everything else looks comparable, except the removable
wings. By keeping my plane at home on the trailer, I
am planning on buying lots of goodies and insurance and
gas that I wouldn't be able to afford if I had to spend
$100 to $300 per month on a hangar.
Where in WA? I just took delivery of my kit this past
Sat., and Dennis was dropping another kit in Kent WA on
his way home to Edmonton. If you can, talk to some of
the builders in your area, there are several I know of
in western WA (Cliff makes regular postings) and you
can see the build process and sit inside and hear other
opinions (not just my gung-ho vision).
You can also talk to Kim Prout ( kpav@uia.net or
909-920-3055 ) who is one of our west coast reps (Ralph
Petersen is the other), he and his father has done
testing of his 912 powered Europa with the CAFE
foundation, so these tests will state all the
particulars of altitude, atmospheric conditions, test
weight, prop type, etc.,. I suggest contacting Pulsar
and requesting CAFE foundation data on the 100 if it
has been tested.
The kit price looks to be about the same, but the
engine & firewall forward looks to be about $5000 less
for the Pulsar, but I don't see any detailed lists of
what is included - all the extras really add up:
exhaust system; coolant system; engine mount; etc.
---From what is shown, it is a nice plane...looks like it
is going to come down to the removable wings.
just my 2 cents worth.
Good luck,
Dean Wiegand
Sacramento CA USA
dwiegand@surewest.net
kit A259
www.dwiegand.dnsalias.com
click on "Europa"
-----Original Message-----
From: forum-owner@europaclub.org.uk
Dwight Morgan
Subject: IO-240 and Super 200
Hi all, I have been lurking for awhile. I live in
Washington state. I have a couple of questions.
Has anyone put a Continental engine in their planes? I
was thinking of an IO-240 or a Super 200. Would they
fit? Would weight and balance be doable? I guess this
also opens up the can of worms with how everyone feels
about reliability of all of the different engines.
Would the 914 have a higher ceiling that the IO-240 due
to the turbo?
Second, as I am looking at kit planes, two have risen
to the top, the Europa and the Pulsar Super 100. I
like the efficiency and removable wings of the Europa,
but I hope that the Pulsar may have more cabin width at
the shoulders and allows more std engine options, and
is a little faster.
Thanks for your input,
Dwight
|