Corvair CCW or CW?

[Yellowbird]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Makes me look forward to the day when i can put a deposit down on a Cougar kit.

[Tony Spicer]

Thanks for the replies. I've never flown anything with an engine that turns 'the wrong way' - my CFII (ex ATP, in his 70's, 25,000+ hours) warned me that bad things can happen when muscle memory kicks in and and you compensate the wrong way - I assumed it was the voice of experience talking, maybe it was FUD...

Jeffery,

I've flown lefties and righties on the same day. I can promise you that when the nose starts going right on takeoff your brain will not allow you to do anything other than use your left foot to correct.

Tony

[danweseman]

Jeffery
From a technical POV.... The corvair can fairly easily be changed to right hand rotation.
(AKA the right way?) But a few asepcts should at least be considered. I'm speaking from experience as the 3100 cc corvair in My Fathers Fisher Celebrity is a reverse rotation corvair (left hand).
The cam, distributor drive gear , and distributor gear need to be changed. The reverse rotation cam itself allows the engine to run the "other direction". The distributor gears allow the oil pump to turn the correct direction.
nothing earth shattering. The hardest part is getting a starter motor that works in the correct direction. This isn't typically to big of a deal as the traditional WW front starter motor can be built in the reverse rotation. The down side is that to my knowledge at this point the new ultra light WW starter motor is not available in reverse rotation. I say its a down side as the new starter is a huge improvement over the old one. Its 2.5 lbs lighter, and turns the engine over faster with much less current draw.
If you do decide to go reverse rotation beware Clarks had a bad batch of gears a few years back that didn't mess properly and would "eat" themselvese in short order. My Dad had one of these sets ,and I know Roy Sarifinski did also in a customers engine. I think this is all sorted out now, but something to check.
I do agree with the others that its not a concern either way. Ive flown many corvair powered planes and never even considered the difference. Like others have said you just do what is needed to control the aircraft.
The typical reason to change rotation is installing a corvair in a airframe that has the vertical fin offset for a right hnd engine (my Dads Celebrity did)
The other reason would be to take advantage of a certain prop not available in left hand (not a huge concern with the wood props we use)
Hope this helps Some
Dan Weseman

[Yellowbird]

Thanks for the replies. I've never flown anything with an engine that turns 'the wrong way' - my CFII (ex ATP, in his 70's, 25,000+ hours) warned me that bad things can happen when muscle memory kicks in and and you compensate the wrong way - I assumed it was the voice of experience talking, maybe it was FUD...

[at7000ft]

Am flying a Pietenpol now with a Corvair (that turns the wrong way). Never notice the difference, if the plane wanders left on takeoff you give it right rudder and vis versa. On climb out you just step on the ball till centered, who cares which way the engine is turning?

Rick H

[PlaneDan]

Did not mean to come across as demeaning to the thought. If it is no issue to change it and that is what is desired, then do it. I just believe that if you are flying the airplane, you just do what is necessary to fly the plane. I remember the first time I got into a VW powered plane and when the plane wanted to go other than straight, I just applied opposite rudder.

So the reason for my emphatic NO, was only to express that I see no reason to expend any effort on the issue unless it means something to you. Also, I have a lot of friends flying VW and Corvair powered planes and none of them have ever bothered to make a change like that.

[Yellowbird]

Thanks for the response - now maybe someone could educate me why reverse ground cams would be a bad idea.
Given the perceived vehemence of the response (all caps, exclamation point, etc.) I take it you think it's an absurd idea...

Seems like most of us have it ingrained to counteract propeller torque and p-factor one way, and when flying a Corvair powered aircraft you'd have to compensate by doing the opposite (and maybe if you fly multiple aircraft you'd do the wrong thing in the wrong one at the wrong time) - if it's so easy to make a Corvair engine spin the prop in the same direction as a Continental, Lycoming, etc. why don't more people do it (especially if it's a zero-cost option), and if not - why not?!?

[PlaneDan]

WHY? and NO!

[Yellowbird]

WW says, "If you wish, the rotation can be converted to right hand; the cams used are available as reverse grinds at no additional expense..." Curious how many people are contemplating making their Corvair spin the 'right' way, and if the SPA stroker may be available similarly.