I think I have found the airplane I want to build, but what is keeping me from pulling the trigger is the engine.

After a bit of reading, no plane has caught my attention like the Thatcher CX-5. I have inquired about plans, but the thing that is keeping me from ordering them is the VW conversion engine.

I am a 75 hour student pilot (waiting for a check ride) that has never flown in a plane (pilot or otherwise) that wasn't a Cessna (with the exception of airline flights). I don't come from an aviation family, in fact I was 30 before I flew in a plane that wasn't operated by a 121. So for me, the most difficult parts of learning to fly are scheduling time with the professionals I need, paying for it, and understanding risk well enough to make informed, safe choices.

This post is about the third part. I don't feel that at 75 hours it would be safe for me to fly an auto conversion, but I expect the build to take years, and I don't want to dismiss a plane that is what I want otherwise, because I don't understand the risks, or what my own risk tolerance will be.

I have dismissed many auto conversions, but the thing that keeps me from completely dismissing VWs is that there were aviation certified VW engines (Limbach), and that leads me to wonder if engines like the Revmaster are closer to the Continental Titans than they are to the Eggenfeller Subarus.

What are your experiences with VW engines?