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  1. Hey guys,
    Just an update on where I am with my Fat Avid
    I am registered with the MD-RA with my "Letter of Intent" to build an amateur home-built aircraft and have received acknowledgement from them.
    I am now waiting for them to come up here during the first week of March, to confirm the "Major Portion" requirement which will allow me to start work.
    All I have done so far is remove the covering from the Horizontal Stab, Elevator and have started uncovering the wing (needed for the "Precover Inspection")
    Oh yeah and the other thing I did was move everything except the fuselage into the basement.
    Getting all those parts past the wife has been the hardest part so far.
    The fabric was glued down with the Stewart's System and was a brute to get off.
    A call to Stewart's indicated that although lacquer thinner or MEK will soften the glue, heating it gently with a torch and then sandblasting is the easiest way to remove it.
     
    I have experience working with the Poly Fiber system (repairs to my Challenger II)  and will likely end up going with what I know.
    This is my first full cover job and I like the idea of being able to wash away any mistakes with MEK and being able to start over clean.
    It's a more "odorific" procedure, but one I understand.
     
    As for my question:
     
    I have been pondering which engine to install in this thing.
    The realistic options available are:
    1) Rotax 582 (least expensive install - up front cost) 
    2) Jabiru 2200 (used with "lowish" hours and / or re-buildable) 
    3) Jabiru 3300 (used with "lowish" hours and / or re-buildable) 
    4) Subaru EA81  (used with "lowish" hours and / or re-buildable)  -- although I can't find any useful information on a Subaru conversion and Stratus seems to not exist anymore
     
    Much further down my list are the VW conversions eg: Aerovee, Great Plains, Revmaster etc.
    I think, unless someone wills me a Rotax 912, it is out of the question due to price and the reluctance for Rotax to sell engine parts.
     
    I come from a family of engine rebuilders that have been in business for 50 + years and have all the resources available to me to completely rebuild anything I can buy parts for.
    I was also self employed for 4 years doing restorations and engine rebuilding on vintage American and British motorcycles, and am very familiar with low weight high horsepower engines
    Constructing the plane as amateur home-built allows me to do all the work on the power-plant myself ... and I am OK with this and trust my abilities.
     
    The question I have is regarding "Installed Weight " of the engine I choose.
    I currently have found a Jabiru 3300 with a full avionics package I can purchase nearby and was wondering  if this could be a candidate?
    Has anyone had experience with a Jabiru 3300 in an Avid Plus or similar size aircraft.
    Is this simply too much engine?
     
     
    The Rotax 582 installed weight is about 110 lbs
    The Jabiru 2200 is about 142 lbs 
    The Jabiru 3300 is about 181 lbs.
    I have no idea what the Subaru weighs but it seems to have a following, without current support from a manufacturer of aircraft grade components?
    These weights include exhaust, radiators, air filters, electric starter, carburetors etc.
    I would appreciate anyone's opinions on the above engines, or ..... other recommendations?
    My plan for this plane is strictly recreational flying, but do plan to install floats on it once the Challenger is gone.
    Jim R