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The Pylon Place - October 2010
Reno 2010 Recap – Gone with the Wind…
By Marilyn Dash
The flags tell the story – a horrendous windstorm changes history (Joanne Murray)Have you ever looked forward to something, a once in a lifetime vacation perhaps – and when you can just about see the brass ring, you blink and it’s gone. Anticipation followed merely by disappointment is hard to reconcile.
That is how I felt after the Reno Air Races of 2010 came to a close. Mother Nature took the wind out of our sails and threw it back at us, with a vengeance. All of the preparation and handwringing ended, not with a crescendo – but with a whimper and a sigh.
Fly with a Snowmobile Engine?
Rethinking the Rotax 912
By Ed Downs
Long used in U. S. experimental aircraft and many certified European aircraft, the Rotax 912 has become the almost-standard engine of choice for S-LSA aircraft designers. But, ask most American pilots about flying behind a Rotax, and you get the “What, me fly with a snowmobile engine?” question followed by a wide-eye look of horror when told that the 912 delivers its maximum rated 100 horsepower at 5800 rpm. Most simply equate the name Rotax with the famed two stroke engines of the Ski-Doo snowmobile and Sea-Doo watercraft. Many conclude that the Rotax 912 is simply a variation of its well-known two-stroke counterparts. Nothing could be further from reality.