Hi All,
Here's another two cents worth of opinion...from a builder who has up to now
shied away from giving any consideration whatsoever to Rotax-alternatives.
The mere thought of attempting innovation on the powerplant side of things
is just way too daunting for my comfort zone...however,
I've just returned home from the EAA fly-in @ Arlington, WA where I had a
chance to see Alex Bowman's primo Honda CAM 125 installation in his XS mono!
The fellow who did his engineering for it, Neal Villon (sp?), was also there
and I was able to talk with him and Alex at length. Of course weight was an
issue and they have stipped away 17 lbs. from the stock CAM 125; I cannot
provide precise weight figures, but the 125 hp appears to more than
compensate for any increase in gross. Nor can I provide any precise info on
performance; however, the radiator installation is quite slick and along
with the air inlet and outlets, the design appears to be extremely low drag.
They have production molds for the cowl, baffling, and a wonderful monowheel
fairing...it is really quite something.
I have never been a fan of the XS cowl design, and Bowman's is really sweet.
Bob Masters of Firewall Forward, Inc. which makes up the basic engine was
also there; FF has invested considerable $ to ensure that the engine
controller is suitable for aircraft. The Honda V-tech engine and reduction
drive seem bulletproof, very robust, and the first 30 hours in the Europa
seems very promising.
In no way do I mean to equate 30 hrs. on one installation w/ the 1000's of
hrs. on 1000's of Rotaxes. Alex mentioned that his search for an alternative
began when his enquiries (several years ago) to Europa Inc. revealed that
the company was less than satisfied w/ the Rotax and was seeking an
alternative. I can't help but feel that a rejuvenated Europa Inc. would be
wise to consider supporting the CAM 125.
Fred
A194
- without FFwd kit and plexiglas
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