Rotax oil thermostat

[Bruce]

A new brand of oil thermostat that is suitable for both Rotax and Jabiru engines is currently being advertised. I have been fitting oil thermostats to new aircraft for over two years and I am a strong advocate of the benefits. TECNAM Italy fit the PERMA-COOL brand of oil thermostat to the new IFR twin and from 2010 the PERMA-COOL oil thermostat is a standard fitting on all new TECNAM Light Sport Aircraft (LSA).

 

The Rules for LSA aircraft as published by CASA require the manufacturer to accept responsibility for all airworthiness issues to do with the aircraft and as such an owner or dealer in Australia can only fit equipment/accessories/avionics (oil thermostats, VHF radios, transponders, EFIS, etc.,) that are approved by the manufacturer. While the owner of a TECNAM LSA aircraft may fit a PERMA-COOL oil thermostat, no other oil thermostats are approved at this time. Should any owner particularly want another brand of oil thermostat, we have a system in place where we have to apply to TECNAM Italy for a one-off approval for an individual aircraft and serial number.

 

Imported Ultralight TECNAM aircraft are administered by RA-Aus on behalf of CASA and both RA-Aus and CASA accept responsibility for the ongoing airworthiness. Imported Ultralight aircraft have to have a Type Certificate issued by the Airworthiness Authority of the Country of Origin before registration is approved by RA-Aus. Contrary to popular belief, an imported ultralight cannot be freely modified unless it is approved by a CAR 35 Engineer or a person authorised by CASA. So if you want to fit an oil thermostat to an imported TECNAM Ultralight, discuss the proposed installation with RA-Aus Technical Manager - Steve Bell first.

 

See you at TEMORA

 

Regards Bruce