Major difference between that Lycoming and the Fitch. The Lycoming is a
crankcase lubed engine. I think (My OPINION) that the fitch and even the
Optimax failures come from lack of lube. I think the Opti's just have done
a better job of running more oil in to the airstream at low RPM's. Would
not be a problem if engines burned no oil.
Bill

"Gene Kearns" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 08:19:39 +1000, K Smith
wrote:

The core issue is that they try to deliberately run the engine very
very lean at lower revs to get through the EPA regs, but it's been well
known, understood & documented since before WW2 that this is at best
very risky & in a goodly percentage of instances fatal to the engine.

Not necessarily true..... but Ficht didn't get it down right.... so
it *was* a failure. Millions of flight hours have been flown on the
lean side of the curve. Again, it *is* well documented that it is
possible, but not with the Ficht numbers.....

PS...
Don't quote Lycoming figures. Their engines are no more designed to
run lean of peak than Ficht.... they just happen to know it.




--



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