EAA Sport Aviation - October 2010

Rotary Engine Rebuilds
I ENJOYED THE ARTICLE ON the S.E.5a built by my friend Jack Kearbey;
he deserves a lot of credit for his fine workmanship.

I would like to set the record straight on something that was mentioned in the article pertaining to World War I rotary engines. It is an often-repeated myth that rotary engines were only good for 20 hours before needing a rebuild. This is incorrect; there is no reason why a WWI rotary engine would not last for several hundred hours.

This myth came about simply by a misunderstanding of the term “rebuilt” as it was used by mechanics at that time. Rotary engines were lubricated with castor oil, which would tend to congeal, particularly around the piston rings. Engines were frequently disassembled for cleaning and then reassembled and returned to service, which constituted a rebuild in the minds of many mechanics.

Keeping the piston rings free in their grooves is important in an
engine that takes its air/fuel mixture through the crankcase. I routinely
fly a rotary engine that has in excess of 1 25 hours in the logbook.

Fred Murrin, EAA 115211

Greenville, Pennsylvania

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Space to Build

Law Enforcement Over the Line?

Paul Dowgewicz certainly wasn’t alone when he expressed his frustration about well-known flight instructors John and Martha King being detained when it was thought the airplane they were flying was stolen. He started a thread on Oshkosh365 that, at press time, was still going strong.

Here are a few highlights from this ongoing discussion:

The Santa Barbara police held the Kings at gunpoint for 30 minutes…just another example of the abuse of the militarization of law enforcement. –Paul Dowgewicz

Sorry to bust your indignant bubble but…the Kings were only detained for 30 minutes; that is a pretty short time, all things considered. –Jonathan Wanzer

Every pilot is a suspected drug runner or terrorist and is treated as such by our endless number of “security” agencies…and we pay their salaries for being arrogant and incompetent. –Dean Billing

This is a serious problem, and it didn’t start last week. In a past life, I flew… helicopters in the offshore Gulf of Mexico area. I recall at least five intercepts on me…(when) I was always in strict compliance with FARs and LOAs. –Robert Dingley

It is fairly obvious that no one on this thread has any law enforcement experience…I understand people are angry and frustrated, but who should this be directed at? Not the guys in the field! –Jonathan Wanzer

Forgive my ignorance, but would people expect a criminal to file a flight plan using the N number of the aircraft he/she stole?

–Bryan McGrath

The Kings are right…if this kind of thing keeps happening, it is going to end in a tragic “mistake” some day.

–Rusty Barnett

I have served 15 years with law enforcement…. The system failed at the information end, not at the response by the LEOs on patrol. –Chris Hatin

It is good to see that there are folks out there…who don’t think that the law enforcement officers were major screwups in this situation. –Jerry Rosie

Did (the airplane owner) have any responsibility to correct the obvious discrepancy in the official records, or was he completely within his rights to keep on renting that airplane, knowing it was on a stolen aircraft list? –Jerry Rosie