Kyle Communications

The cam lobe shape at the top has to do with how and why the lifters rotate. Edge had a issue with their hot cams that were not doing this until someone worked out that this was the issue

The engine hasnt been run yet. My cousin is a racecar engine builder and he rebuilt the engine for me. It is also fully balanced and has a big bore kit fitted. He is also a Rotax certified engine repairer as he is a pilot and instructor as well. He told me he used the ford lifters as they were the best. The main thing is the cam grind. He did the cam as well. The lifters must rotate as the engine turns over otherwise the cam lobe of lifters will wear. This is my engine

I have ford lifters in my rebuilt 912ULS with big bore for the S-21

Everyone is assuming they will shift the business itself...it wouldnt make sense to. Its at a Airport already there is plenty of building space and machinery is there...just getting rid of the old guard of owners. As of today I am retired :)..The company i worked for was bought out by a huge european based company..and I mean huge. They sponsor 2 F1 cars in..(the pink ones). My mate and he being the boss sold the buisness late last year..the new manager they got finally has put his stamp on it and the way he wants to do stuff...I didnt really care much for all this new corporate bullsh@t he is bringing in but essentially they started to squeeze me out by keeping me in the dark as he has started to employ the engineers he has previously worked with..especially seeing I have designed all the very successful products that the new company paid a lot of money for. No skin off my nose and I realise its as Nev said its out with the old and in with the new...I am quite ok with that. I would imagine jab will be the same. They will get rid of the high end staff/manage,emnt and put their methods into it

If I get flush at some stage in the future I may re engine the S-21 with a 915 IS...but 65k is a bit hard to stuff down my throat

I think the engine mounts are similar for the Titan and Continental. I am sure I have seen either installed. Randy has been working on a BRS fitment into the S-21 but I must get onto him and see how that has been going. Not cheap though for a 800kg aircraft but the mrs is pretty keen on one. I am fitting the BRS into Mabel now

I think they all just load the airframe at the calculated G load and see if it breaks...then load it to more until it does..mainly just wings and stab are loaded in the videos I have seen

The battery is on the firewall on the S-21 the issue Maybe I will need to use a Oddysey battery they are very heavy to help the CG. What will be a issue too is I will have the Eprop and it is so light that will make a big difference and the Mrs wants a BRS in it too so thats another problem to solve

The CG with the 912ULS is a bit tail heavy or so apparently so I have been told..cant tell yet. The one I did 2 flights on was the 912 and it flew fine. The mount for the 915 will be made to suit I would think. The performance with the 915 is supposed to be pretty damn good for the guys gettin them in. Quite a lot now are getting them due to the less fuel consumption and of course the performance at altitude also long waiting time for the Titan and other engines. Patrick Esmond's was the first S-21 to fly here in OZ and he has a 915 in it and really performs. He has a few videos on it and one showing at 10,000 ft he is doing 148 kts TAS !!!! which is actually faster than the Titan

Mike Why dont you use a 915 IS...lots going in now on S-21 and they are better on fuel and actually faster at altitude than the Titan..also the MTOW is better

I suppose you have to decide what you make the most money from...engines or airframes to make that decision

Might see a Rotax option for powerplant...they would sell a lot more Jabs I believe if they offered that

Yes apparently so.....also told Sue was not there now either

Heard from reliable source that Jabiru has been sold to a company based out of Victoria.....anyone heard anything?

19/08/23 Riveted ribs 2 to 11 to front and rear spars of RH wing. Riveted tie down angle to front spar. Bolted aileron and flap bellcranks to their mounts and rear spar. Attached rod ends to aileron and flap bellcranks. 1.6h

16/08/23 Match drilled, deburred and riveted aileron and flap hinge arms, ribs aft attach angles, aileron and flap bellcrank attach mounts and root rib forward attach angle to ribs of RH wing. 2.1h

Second wing underway 15/08/23 Bolted wing truss to RH main spar. Clecoed ribs to main and rear spars. Levelled wing supports. Shimmed and bolted rear spar to wing truss. Clecoed aileron and flap hinge arms, wing tie-down angle, flap bellcrank mount, aileron bellcrank outer rib support and rib aft attach angles in position. 4.7h

The VGXL is the same cabin width as the S version. Everything is the same except the flap/aileron connection method and the rear empange. The S supposedly a little stronger with the curved curfaces but the tail feathers are the same. I have built both versions. Any 912ULS that is older than around 2007/8 will have the later 6x6 CDI modules from about 2010 onwards they then had softstart available but you had the choice whether to enable it or not this was regardless of the flywheel type I would get the 100hp engine not the 80hp the weight difference is minimal but the performance is a lot different. Land Africa??? do you mean Savannah Africa? They do factory built savannahs for South Africa and do a good job possibly cheaper than you can get a local one for except of course for freight and taxes maybe.

The reason they backfire Bob is is a couple of them. The main one is tecnique and also if the aircraft has a aircraft keytype switch fitted which is used for magnetos NOT CDI. CDI need the 2 separate switches. The reason they backfire is the prop/engine is turning too slow when spark is applied , heavy props and spacers also make ths problem worse. This is why separate switches are better. With the switches off you spin the engine with the starter and you will usually hear the spinning RPM go up after a few seconds of spinning this is when you turn 1 switch on then once it fires and ramps up towards idle then just flick the other switch on. This also tests your CDI if you alternate the switch to start each time you start the engine. When you just click on both switches first or use the aircraft keytype switch which essentially does the same thing then because the CDI will start to send a spark at about 150 RPM the engine is under heavy prop load and only just getting to start level in spark and with extra fuel in there from the choke the engine can easily backfire. When you spin the engine up first without any ignition switch on the engine has a chance to get to 200 or so RPM possibly more with a lighter prop combination and the inertial then helps stop any backfire when you hit the ignition. Other factors like crappy earths from the battery to the engine block or small DC cables from the battery to the engine dont help the process either. I was shocked when I first got into these aircraft that so many just earth at the battery and let a riveted alu frame pass the negative to the engine block. Not running a earth directly from the battery as well as the one to the frame to the engine block is just wrong.

I thought it was 2 deg from the original. I am sure I read that somewhere. This just means the engine fires 2 deg earlier than the original flywheel. Whether that actually makes the ignition point any better to stop backfiring I am not sure but it didnt seem to when I did some testing on 2 engines. All the softstart does is hold the engine from changing from full retard to full advance by 6 seconds. When the engine changes it is basically just like you turn a switch on and off. One moment it is full retard then immediately it changes to full advance...nothing in between. It doesnt ramp or do anything just a direct switch. I will do a video and show you. I think I may have a old module here I can show you. The old original modules used to switch over at around 1050 rpm when they had the old switching output devices. When the later version modules came out they changed to a different output device and this shifted the change back to around 800 rpm. I use a different device in my modules which are a higher voltage and higher current rating but they do the change at the 800 rpm as well. I set my modules to hold the engine in retard after start for 2 sec and not 6 sec lie the originals

it shifts it 2deg but thats what I mean..I dont believe it makes any difference due to the way the modules work. When starting the modules are full retard. They do not change to full advance until around 800 rpm..the engine isnt even running by then it wont even idle until about 1400 rpm. So just putting sofstart modules in with a older flywheel will really do nothing. The original softstart. modules hold the engine in full retard for about 6 sec at idle...really a waste of time and the engine runs like aa hairy goat for 6 sec. if you have a neww flywheel well yes the engine will fire 2 deg earlier but really does that make much of a difference????... maybe it does but not that I can perceive..I have done testing. By starting the engine in a certain way you will limit any backfiring anyway. You have to remember these are CDI NOT magnetos

And a new flywheel too Bob...I personally dont believe there is really any difference between softstart and not..its the way you start the engine is the main thing. I have my modules on my engines but havent wired up the softstart as I never get any bacfires

Rodger made it up when he did his wings had it stored here for about a year. So I got the hand me down 🙂 ...I also got Gregs 2 benches he made for assembling his S-21.... bargain bonaza . makes life much easier

Major step number 1...first wing is now down at the hangar. The Mistress left wing is now keeping Mabel's parts company

both are out of the ballpark expensive..thats why I went with MGL. Had great service from the different MGL EFIS I have used over the last 12 years..and half the price or even less