Panther Sport Aircraft Forums

Sean,

I asked that question before, in the Engines/Corvair section, and this was the answer I got:

psalter
Posts: 52
Joined: Sun May 19, 2013 6:50 pm
Location: Green Cove Springs, Florida
First Name: Paul
Last Name: Salter
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Re: Corvair
PostMon Feb 10, 2014 11:41 pm

Glen,

The 3.0L engine is rated at 120 hp at 3400 rpm. In the Panther, with the propellor we are using, we are getting around 3000 to 3100 rpm, which translates to about 100 hp. That is why we say we have 100hp.

By the way, the cam is in the engine block. The Corvair does not have overhead cams, those are the valve covers.

There are not many new cranks that have been running yet. The Panther has the first billet crank and has about 100 hours on it.

As far as high time Corvairs go, there are some that have over 1000 hours on them. It is recommended that all Corvairs have a 5th bearing installed. In reality, most pilots will only put 100 hours or so a year on the engine, so even 1000 hours is over 10 years. One of the nice thing about the Corvair, the upper cover can be removed pretty easily and the cam and crank can be inspected easily. Something that is hard to do with Lycoming's and Continental's without removing cylinders.

I believe that a set overhaul time is not a very good indicator. The best thing is conditional, as Dan has said check the oil pressure at idle before shutting down and keep track of the pressure. If it starts to drop off, then you might need to look at an overhaul. Also, cut oil filters open and check for presence of metal. All engines wear at different rates due to their operating environment. Dan and William can tell you more about the best indicators for excessive wear.

Paul
Paul Salter
Team Panther
Engineer and Builder

I hope this helps,

Glen

Dan,

Thanks for explaining that for us!

Here is my predicament. I have ordered the sport wing with the intention of building a 120 hp Corvair engine. After reading your post about long vs short wing, I am worried my plane won't perform well in our hit Texas climate. If the plane has a 700 fpm climb with the long wing/Corvair, I'm worried my short wing/Corvair will barely get 500 fpm climb. I don't want to give up speed, climb, and roll rate to stay with the short/Corvair combo.

With that said, I am seriously considering going the O-320 route and just build as light as possible. I weigh 210 lbs and think I can make it work within parameters. Please let me know if I'm missing something here. Any direction is greatly appreciated!

Sean

.....and let me add that I really enjoyed the Thanksgiving video. I was amazed at how little deflection I saw of the elevator during the flying. I also enjoyed seeing your home airfield (5.21 in the video.) Keep them coming!
Ron Franck

HI guys,
The engine in N515XP is 3.0L and is commonly called the 120HP engine.
I don't feel it makes a 120 HP in the RPM range we run it. here's how I break them down for a "real comparison"
2700 cc (stock) 85-90 hp
3.0L stock stroke 92 MM pistons 95-100 HP
3.3L stroker crank with 92MM 105-115 Should be flying this very soon!

Next the 3.0L compares pretty well with a jab 3300 in power. I know this due to the props we run and the performance my Cleanex had VS my friends with 3300s
Also I feel the 2180 VW engines should be called 65-70
the 0-200 we dyno,d was 89 HP
we run 3300 props with a L in the part # for left rotation. I currently running a Sensenich developed for the Arion Lightning with a jab 3300. we run it a 62 inch's dia and the lightning 3300 guys run it at 58 or 60 inch's dia (yes dia )

The airplanes still perform great regardless of the advertised HP....Hope this helps

JimParker256 wrote:I'm no expert, but IIRC, at Oshkosh I was told that the prototype has a 100HP Corvair engine. I'm pretty sure that the "standard" for reliability, etc. among the Corvair guys is the 100HP version. I was talking to Dan about the possibility of using either an O-200 or an O-235 (or even O-233), and we both thought that an O-200 could likely be purchased and rebuilt by the owner/builder for close to the same price as the Corvair. That's where I'm currently leaning, but haven't even bought my Panther kit yet, so I've got plenty of time to change my mind...

And from the people I talked to at Oshkosh an O-320 can be built for less than a 200 or 235, taking the Panther out of the LSA category, however if the FAA removes the third class medical requirement then who cares about LSA? (For those of us with private pilot or above ratings at least).

rh

Thanks guys!

Sean,

I'm guessing the prototype has 120 HP valve covers installed on a 100 HP engine:) The Jab makes 120 HP at 3300 rpm with 3.3 liters. Hard for the Corvair to match that unless it's at a much higher rpm.

Tony

I'm no expert, but IIRC, at Oshkosh I was told that the prototype has a 100HP Corvair engine. I'm pretty sure that the "standard" for reliability, etc. among the Corvair guys is the 100HP version. I was talking to Dan about the possibility of using either an O-200 or an O-235 (or even O-233), and we both thought that an O-200 could likely be purchased and rebuilt by the owner/builder for close to the same price as the Corvair. That's where I'm currently leaning, but haven't even bought my Panther kit yet, so I've got plenty of time to change my mind...

Does anyone know the answer to the above question?

Thanks!

Dan & Rachel,

Thanks for the great Thanksgiving video treat! I simply can't wait to get mine flying someday soon.

One quick question........the video text says your Panther has a 100 hp engine. I was under the impression that the prototype was flying with a 120 hp Corvair. Was that simply a typo, or am I missing something? Based on your response, I will post a more detailed question in the "engines" section.

Thanks a million!

Sean