No alcohol or methanol. I understand that the use of methanol treated fuel is not allowed in any of the car gas STC's. I'm under the belief that is the main culprit in the delamination of fuel bladders.
So bottom line, for me, the advantages of a ponk conversion are outweighed by the down sides.
Well said. Your operation has clearly defined your logical powerplant choice. Have you had any issues with mogas effecting your bladder tanks? I suspect the lower compression of the STC'd PPonk would allow it to run OK on mogas ......
That's for a 2400 rpm engine. Low pitch 15.0* High pitch 29,4*In an old thread Dave Calkins mentioned running a 90" McCauley C2A34C204 on his 180, I'm interested in the pull gained over an 88" McCauley 203. How much did the low pitch stop have to be changed to get the 90" to swing at 2600 rpm?
In an old thread Dave Calkins mentioned running a 90" McCauley C2A34C204 on his 180, I'm interested in the pull gained over an 88" McCauley 203. How much did the low pitch stop have to be changed to get the 90" to swing at 2600 rpm?
Upping engine displacement in a 180 isn’t much different than doing it in a Cub. The biggest advantage is rate of climb and the heavier the plane the bigger the advantage. Since my primary mission was flying family and friends to and from a 1000’ strip with 100’ trees on the end, additional clearance over those trees in unfavorable winds was what I was looking for.
I’ve told this story before but the first time my wife rode in the plane after the Pponk-C401 3-blade upgrade we weren’t even at 1000’ off of Lake Hood strip yet and she said that was the best money I’d ever spent on an airplane. And to further qualify, the Pponk replaced a 100 hour factory reman and 88” seaplane prop, so not a weak or worn out engine. There’s no replacement for displacement.
I know other guys with 180K and the O-470-U have changed the pitch stop to allow that engine to spin up to 2600 with the 90". I'm just curious how much the low stop has to be changed.
Haven't tried it but I bet it would fly hundreds of pounds over gross where I suspect with the O-470 it wouldn't get on step (which is actually a safety benefit making it impossible for someone to fly with a stupid load).
Back in the 90's I flew a 206 down to Wipline for refurbishing, installation of their copilot door, 4000 amphibs and an IO-550. They told me during flight testing they were able to get their testbed 206, with 4000 straight floats, in the air with such a load they were unable to fly it out of ground effect. We latter installed Wip 4000 straight floats on our 206 and were amazed at the ability of that aircraft to climb up on step when HEAVY, something the 3430's would never do. The takeoff run was amazingly long. We joked you needed a Six Pack License to carry five passengers in that airplane (speed boat).Depends more on the floats than the engine. At 3190# a 470 works but a 520 works better.
Back in the 90's I flew a 206 down to Wipline for refurbishing, installation of their copilot door, 4000 amphibs and an IO-550. They told me during flight testing they were able to get their testbed 206, with 4000 straight floats, in the air with such a load they were unable to fly it out of ground effect. We latter installed Wip 4000 straight floats on our 206 and were amazed at the ability of that aircraft to climb up on step when HEAVY, something the 3430's would never do. The takeoff run was amazingly long. We joked you needed a Six Pack License to carry five passengers in that airplane (speed boat).
Actually, those floats will fly out of the water nicely at 3800. I flew 185s at 3350 on late PeeKay 3500s, and EDO 3430s out of the Fairbanks float pond. Then I was handed the keys to an IO 550 206 on Wip 4000 straight floats. I cursed them for a while, till I figured out to get them to fly….on the step, a hard shove on a rudder, and the thing would come unstuck. Felt awkward, but after a few more trials, that thing would come out of the water at 3800 pounds all up, within a 100 feet or a little more of where those 185s launched, at 3350. And it’d climb away.
A great working airplane, that one.
MTV