REFLECTOR: O-540 or IO-540 on a 173

[Tom Martino]

I have a "173 Elite RG" with an IO-540 (310 hp)

I have 50lbs of ballast in the very tip of the nose cone (upper part
with an access door).

I also have one full size battery and one small back up battery in the
nose.

When flying solo I require at least 100 lbs on the right seat.

The plane is fast and handles perfectly.

When cruising at higher speeds (200 KIAS) you need only a small amount
of nose down trim.  Most trim needed in nose up.

It is difficult to stall, recovers almost immediately before really
"breaking".  

The engine mount puts the engine closer to the firewall.  I used the top
naca vents just for cooling.  For combustion of made a lower cowling
belly "bubble" with slits in it.  Having dedicated combustion air ...
lease more than enough for cooling.

I used a four blade prop so the disk could be smaller and still get the
same thrust.

Tom  


-----Original Message-----
From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of Steve
Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2006 1:45 AM
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
Subject: REFLECTOR: O-540 or IO-540 on a 173

Is anyone flying with an Lycoming O-540 or IO-540 on a 173 (aka 
longwing) ???

Looks like the 540's are a bit heavier than say the Franklin ~25 lbs.

Any weight and balance issues ?

Steve
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