Wild West Aircraft

For general discussion of the Just Aircraft family of aircraft.
Includes: Highlander, Escapade, Summit and SuperSTOL.
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taildrgfun
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Re: Wild West Aircraft

Post by taildrgfun »

140
Steve Henry, Wild West Aircraft
(the Dead Stick Take-off Guy)
taildrgfun
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Re: Wild West Aircraft

Post by taildrgfun »

I flew my Yamaha Highlander about 3 1/2 hours today and it is really working well!! I got 4.8 gallons per hour flying a solid 100 mph ground speed at 5000 DA at half throttle @ 8000 rpm. (Yamaha says it makes 118 hp at the crank shaft at 8000 RPM) That is 2250 prop rpm with my 80-46 Prince prop. A 912 is running 5460 rpm to turn the prop that same speed of 2250 RPM. I talked to the people that manufacture this clutch and it sounds like this is a very good application for it. The engine is cooling perfectly, does not seem to be using any oil, nor does it leak anything anywhere. I have a friend who was a service manager for years at a Yamaha shop and he told me this same engine in the motorcycle they figured to be a 100,000 mile engine. It seems to me like a much more modern engine than a Rotax.

I only have 67 hours on it now which I realize is not very much, so only time will tell how it holds up but the more I fly it the more I like it and the more I am trusting it. It is really fun taking off with a bone stock engine that runs like it is on Nitrous or is turbo charged with big bore pistons in it. And it's fun climbing out at 80 miles an hour at 1400 ft./m with a propeller that still lets me cruise 110 miles an hour if I want. It's unreal how the thing goes up with an actual climb prop on it!!
Steve Henry, Wild West Aircraft
(the Dead Stick Take-off Guy)
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Tralika
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Location: Wasilla Alaska

Re: Wild West Aircraft

Post by Tralika »

Glad to hear things are going so well the the new engine. Any chance you'll have the plane at the Copper State Fly-in next month?
John Nealon
Wasilla, Alaska
Highlander Extreme #191
mykitlog.com/jnealon
taildrgfun
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Re: Wild West Aircraft

Post by taildrgfun »

There is a very good chance of me flying my Wild West Yamaha Highlander to the High Sierra fly in, and to Copperstate.
Steve Henry, Wild West Aircraft
(the Dead Stick Take-off Guy)
moving2time
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Re: Wild West Aircraft

Post by moving2time »

Steve, you have been so good getting back to us that I hate to ask this question again. You posted a couple bare bones photos of the Yamaha Engine on the Highlander early in your install. Now that you have all of the cooling and installation issues worked out some photos of the final installation would really be nice. For instance. How and where did you install the radiator and related plumbing? Any modifications to airflow in the cowling? From the numbers on the web it sounds like this engine installation could save some real weight. How did your numbers come out? Joe B
taildrgfun
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Re: Wild West Aircraft

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Steve Henry, Wild West Aircraft
(the Dead Stick Take-off Guy)
taildrgfun
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Re: Wild West Aircraft

Post by taildrgfun »

IMG_6778.JPG
Here's what my Yamaha install looks like. This thing performs so good my 912 seems kind of boring now.
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Steve Henry, Wild West Aircraft
(the Dead Stick Take-off Guy)
av8rps
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Re: Wild West Aircraft

Post by av8rps »

Steve, just curious what the empty weight is on your Yamaha Highlander, if comparable to rotax?

Paul
Clark in AZ
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Re: Wild West Aircraft

Post by Clark in AZ »

While your at it, any current pics of the install. Doesn't look like those pics are of the completed install???

Thanks!
Clark
Building SuperSTOL Kit 512
Cave Creek, AZ
taildrgfun
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Re: Wild West Aircraft

Post by taildrgfun »

I have not weighed them side-by-side on the same scale but basically I think it's the same weight as a 912S. And yes those are completed install pictures that I just took a couple days ago.
I've got 80 hours on it now and it's doing great! I can easily cruise my Highlander at over 100 miles an hour and still take off short because this thing has such a wide power band. With the all-around 80/46 Prince prop I have on it now when I am going 100 miles an hour real groundspeed the engine is over 3000 RPM below its redline. I am already totally accustomed to the different sound that this engine makes because it turns more RPM's than most other engines.

In case any of you want to see more conversation about this airplane, I posted something just a couple days ago on Facebook under big tire pilots.
Steve Henry, Wild West Aircraft
(the Dead Stick Take-off Guy)
moving2time
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Re: Wild West Aircraft

Post by moving2time »

Steve, thank you for the photos. Looks complicated. I see the radiator under the engine so that answers how you accomplished that. Looks like a bunch of custom metal work putting the boxes together on both sides. I assume they direct air over the exhaust and engine to assist with additional cooling. After looking at all the custom work I would have thought that it would be heavier than you mentioned but I guess the engine itself did start out lower in weight. The power you are getting must be a thrill. Did you have a lot of assistance in figuring out what to modify to get the cooling straightened out or is this all your own creation, It is certainly some impressive work diagnosing what the engine needed and figuring out how to resolve the issues. Thank you again for the photos. You will be discussing this installation over and over again at Oshkosh. Good to hear that it is running well. Enjoy. Maybe now you can get back to posting some awesome videos. Joe B
taildrgfun
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Re: Wild West Aircraft

Post by taildrgfun »

Joe those boxy looking things have nothing to do with cooling, the one on the right side is my airbox and the one on the left is my heat muff for cabin heat.
Steve Henry, Wild West Aircraft
(the Dead Stick Take-off Guy)
moving2time
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Re: Wild West Aircraft

Post by moving2time »

Sometimes photos don't necessarily show all you need to know to understand what is going on with the plumbing. On the carb side I kept looking at the box and I couldn't really figure out an air inlet which was confusing because I would think that both an air box and a cooling shroud would have some sort of air inlet. Perhaps there is a hose from underneath that can't be seen. On the exhaust side there is likely an air intake up front and there is also clearly a hose going to a heater box on the fire wall but it still could have been something built to cool the exhaust. Since this engine turns so much more RPMs than other engines, I wasn't sure that the engine may have needed both air cooling and a radiator. I'll bet you get plenty of heat out of that heat muff.

On the carb side there is some sort of opening in the gear box. What is the function of that opening? Almost looks like an exhaust port. Joe B
taildrgfun
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Re: Wild West Aircraft

Post by taildrgfun »

Joe there are 2 air filters in plain sight on the air box. I tried to replicate the stock airbox as much as I could and still fit it under the cowling. I don't know what those holes in the side of the gearbox housing are for, there is one on each side.
Steve Henry, Wild West Aircraft
(the Dead Stick Take-off Guy)
Clark in AZ
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Re: Wild West Aircraft

Post by Clark in AZ »

Hey Steve, have you decided if you are coming to Copperstate yet? I'd like to check your plane out up close!

Thanks,
Clark
Building SuperSTOL Kit 512
Cave Creek, AZ
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