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[rebel-builders] Rebel - engine choices - fuel economy --- was 0-2

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 5:02 pm
by bransom
Ken,
Impressive! You make it hard to stick to this idea (which I've come to
believe) that a Lyc/clone can be operated as fuel efficiently as a car
engine. Also, the posts on rough running Lyc's at lower rpms add to the
difficulty in equating Lyc fuel economy to Soob.

Do you think your plane goes a little faster than Bob's 0320 Rebel as he
posted (about last year's ramble) ...and that being even yours on floats,
his on wheels?! Do you think that's mostly prop pitch?

I really appreciate the recent posts on this subject, and also hearing what
others are really doing for insurance.
-Ben/ 496r

Actually the Soob definitely used less than $1,000. of mogas on that
trip. 1023 liters in 58.4 flight hours. Don't have the actual cost handy
but mogas was under a dollar per liter back then and well under a dollar
in places that had regular without alcohol. So far it still hasn't
tasted avgas.
Ken

Bob Patterson wrote:
Hi Keith !

I'm with Ken ! I don't have the fancy electronic ignition,
just stock mags & carb, on my O-320E2D. It burns 8 gph
at 2,450 rpm, and is very happy there. On a previous Ramble,
I ran it at 2,350 - it burns about 1 gph less, and is reasonably
happy there, but 2,250 or 2,100 are not so good ... it seems
rough, and get harder to start. There's no question that the
old Continental O-300 6 cyl burns less fuel....

On the subject of fuel .... On Ramble 2007, we flew out to
the West Coast, and back to Oshkosh. This involved a lot
of flying in 95 - 100 + F. temperatures, through the mountains,
from airports near 4,000 ft. ASL. We all carried 2 passengers,
and camping gear. I put $2,630 worth of 100 LL in my O-320
(those were lower prices back then ...). The Rebel with the
80 hp. Rotax 912 used about $880 worth of mogas, the Rebel
with the 100 hp. Rotax 912 used about $1,100 worth, and
I believe the Rebel with the Subaru 2.2L used about $1,200 - $1,300
worth of mogas .... SO -- we all got there, and it cost me over
DOUBLE the gas.... Yes, I could carry a bit more weight, and
climb a bit faster sometimes (although the Subaru wanted to
pass me !), and cruise a bit faster ....

My NEXT Rebel will have a 100 hp. Rotax 912, and might
go on 1500 Murphy amphib floats....

I think Tom summed it up quite nicely - he said (approximately):
"I chose the Rotax 912 because I couldn't think of anywhere I
wanted to go that quickly that was worth the extra fuel ! "


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