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Thread: Engine Swap

  1. #1

    Engine Swap

    Have a Lancair 4, and the Cont piston engine has taken a ground strike. Thinking of putting in the Walters Turbine engine. I am not the original builder. What will be required paper work wise and inspection wise to make the swap and update the plane certification .
    thanks Bruce

  2. #2
    FlyingRon's Avatar
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    Look in the airplanes operating limitations. Almost certainly it requires notification of the local FSDO. They may wish to add a test period for the new engine.
    It's a Walter (no S) engine by the way.

  3. #3
    Neil's Avatar
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    There is some additional paper work that goes with having a Turbine on a home built and the term escapes me at the moment. The change you speak of has been performed in the shop I work at but it was before I came on board. I will give you this heads up though and it may not affect your airplane, but in the airplane that was converted, there had never been a fuel leak with AV Gas but Jet A wicked through the tanks and filled the cockpit rather quickly. The tanks all had to be sealed internally which was a rather large undertaking.

    Personally I wouldn't make the swap but that's up to you. Before considering it any further I would consult with your insurance carrier and check the market on these airplanes with turbines.

  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Neil View Post
    There is some additional paper work that goes with having a Turbine on a home built and the term escapes me at the moment.
    Correct, the owner will have to come up with an "FAA APPROVED" inspection program as specified in 91.409 and comply with the rules for recording those inspections.

    So it's notify the FAA, install the engine, go back into phase one for the specified amount of time (usually 5 hrs), design an inspection program, get it approved by the FAA and make all future inspections to the aircraft IAW that program - all not necessarily in that order.





    edit: Oh, and BTW, the non-builder owner won't be able to perform any of those inspections.
    Last edited by martymayes; 07-09-2012 at 06:53 AM.

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