I had a chance to play co-pilot for a spell in a vintage '65 Beechcraft Queenair this afternoon courtesy of a friend who's the private pilot for the owner of the plane. The thing was in immaculate shape for being 40 years old.

 

http://www.pilotfriend.com/ferriere%20photos/photos3%20a-b/24.htm (the photo's not the actual plane, but is the same model)

 

Anyway, this thing had twin engines - both 8 cylinder air-cooled Lycoming boxers of 700 cubic inches each. I though that was kinda neat.

This is standard fare for most small aircraft and has been for the last 60 years or so. Textron Lycoming and Teledyne Continental are still to this day making air cooler boxers for airplanes. I have spent thousands of hours behind them in various forms ( 4,6,8 cyl. Carbed or injected, NA or Turbo'd) and love the simplicity of the design.

 

As an aside, Sube engines are installed in many amateur built aircraft. I don't know how to do the link thing in the message but google Eggenfellner Subaru to see what I mean.

 

As an aside to my aside, Fuji Heavy Ind. makes the wings of my current airplane.

 

Ryan

yeah at our air show up here there were two helicopters with subaru motors, my dad things they were EA's but might have been EJ's i have to teach my dad some more.

OK, who's gonna stuff one in a GL?

As an aside to my aside, Fuji Heavy Ind. makes the wings of my current airplane.

 

Ryan

Gee, what type of aircraft is that?? FHI is part is part of a Japanese group which include MHI and and KHI who build body sections for the Boeing 777. The group is also going to be building the wings for the new 787.

"This is standard fare for most small aircraft and has been for the last 60 years or so ... " Oh so true Dickensheets, for which we have the FAA certification process to thank.

 

I would gladly trade my O290D Lycoming for a turbodiesel, oh wait, I could, since I'm flying an experimental!

 

Not really appropriate for my current airplane, but my point is that we are flying behind dated technology because we are regulated by an agency operating under a 1930's mindset.

 

Thank God for the experimental regs and the EAA.

This is standard fare for most small aircraft and has been for the last 60 years or so. Textron Lycoming and Teledyne Continental are still to this day making air cooler boxers for airplanes. I have spent thousands of hours behind them in various forms ( 4,6,8 cyl. Carbed or injected, NA or Turbo'd) and love the simplicity of the design.

Ryan, do you know the basic Lycoming engine designation for this craft? I'd like to research into 'em a little bit. I find the constant-spray fuel-injection interesting.

For the designation, it depends upon the exact model Queen. But a likely starting point would be the GO 540 A1D.

MTSMITHS what is your type experimental? I used to fly an RV4 with the O290G and loved it. And yes I know the FAA is a serious pain in the ....

 

Ryan

I have a Spezio Tuholer, led by an O290D, and built in Tucson between about '74 & '81. Currently in my garage as I fight with new bungees, hoses, redoing the W&B, and wiring. When I'm done with the internals I'll paint it and it'll be all ready for spring in the Rockies.

 

I think there's a picture in my album.

For the designation, it depends upon the exact model Queen. But a likely starting point would be the GO 540 A1D.

I would have thought that the "540" would indicate that that is a 540 CID 6-cylinder. Dunno...

 

As far as putting one in your soob... I would imagine "new" price on an O-700 would be roughly the same as the price of a small house.

The subject of replacement engines came up and my buddy Sam threw out the figure of 50-60k apiece. He opined that at least half of that amount is designed to cover the effects of litigious society.

You are correct, it's a six cyl. engine. Apparently that was original equipment in the early models. As far as the 720 CID 8 cyl. version, I have no specific info. Sorry.

 

 

Ryan

One would think the engine wouldn't be well suited to car use. Cooling becomes more of an issue without a prop in front and the load/RPM range is all wrong in a car. constant load, high rpms are standard for airplanes. Varying load, low rpms are what cars are all about. But with 700+CID.... I think it should move a subie no matter what.

yeah at our air show up here there were two helicopters with subaru motors, my dad things they were EA's but might have been EJ's i have to teach my dad some more.

 

Im pretty sure those were EJ22's in Gyrocopters. A friend of mine was at the air show and reported them having rebuilt EJ22's from CCR.