Hello again Sonexplans, Sonextalk, and AeroVee eGroups-

Sorry in advance for the length of this posting. As you will soon find out, we have a lot to say on this subject.

There has been a a lot of discussion about some of the AeroVee Competitors in the VW AeroConversion Market. We wanted to take the opportunity to state a few facts and provide a list of questions for those who are researching alternatives.

In the past, there have been many individuals parading on the internet and in e-mail groups portraying themselves as Aircraft Engine Experts. We respectfully request that these individuals share their resumes as openly and honestly as we have. It will be quite an eye-opening experience for many a reader to find out just how many flight hours many of these " experts " actually have behind any kind of an engine conversion...let along any airplane! There are also fairly regular postings from individuals who have not done adequate research before making statements. They are not intentionally trying to harm products or companies making statements that are not factual, they are simply misinformed.

We want to extend a huge Thank You to those that have AeroVee building and flying experience (This means you Tony Lewis, Mike Singleton, Drew Waterworth, and Tony Spicer) for taking time out of their busy flying schedules to share their experiences with the group.

It is my humble opinion that AeroConversions,Inc puts out the best VW-based Aircraft Conversion ever developed in the AeroVee 2180 Engine Package.

It is easy for anyone to design and build something heavy and complicated. It is a tremendous challenge to design and build something that is elegant, simple, and light-weight. The AeroVee has been thoroughly tested and has exceeded our expectations for power output, reliability, and ease of maintenance. Also, a complete and detailed AeroVee/Sonex Firewall Forward Guide is shipped with every engine, saving many hours of head-scratching, part sourcing, and guesswork.

We feel competition in all markets is good for the consumer. Price is of course only one of what should be many considerations. We only ask that all consumers gather as many facts about pricing, quality, design, what's included, and the ability for these companies to deliver what they promise before making a decision.

• John Monnett, the Sonex, Waiex, and Xenos along with the AeroVee 2180 co-designer has the most VW Aircraft Conversion design and flight experience of anyone on the planet....almost all of it in aircraft he designed. He and his team's original ideas have been copied by just about every competitor offering VW Conversions....which we consider the highest form of flattery. The same KISS philosophy that goes into the Sonex Airframes is applied to his brand name AeroVee Conversions.
• The first "x-casting" Accessory Case to be designed and flown on a VW powered aircraft was by John Monnett in 1973 on his own aircraft design, the Sonerai I.
• The AeroVee with the original "x-casting" was the first aircraft engine to utilize a stator alternator.
• AeroVee brand name Engine Cores and Components were used on three record setting flights in two different aircraft. Dick Rutan's VariEZ at Oshkosh 1975 set the FAI record for Class C-1a Group with an AeroVee Engine installed by John Monnett and Mike Core. Mike and John led a team of volunteers who worked all through the night to help make Dick's flight a success. An AeroVee Engine also still holds two world speed records in the Monex Airframe in the C1aO class... 185 mph in a closed 100km course and 182 mph over a 500km closed course...using only 10 gallons of fuel, by the way.
• To more modern history, the reason the AeroVee 2180 exists is that we did not like any vw conversions available on the market when we first began the development of the Sonex in 1997.
• The AeroVee 2180 is the lightest Type I/Type III Aero VW Conversion offering dual ignition and electric start ever produced.
• The AeroVee 2180 is the first Aircraft Engine to utilize the Magnetron Industrial Ignition System. This was quickly copied by the competition.
• The AeroVee 2180 is the first Aircraft Engine to use a sophisticated adaptation of a modern electronic coil ignition system. We anticipate this will also soon be copied by the competition in short order.
• The AeroVee 2180 is the only Aviation Engine that we know of that offers a "Dual-Plus" Ignition. You have to have four independent ignition unit failures for the AeroVee to stop running.
• All AeroVee ignition systems are driven off of one moving part...the crankshaft/flywheel assembly. Heavy, expensive, complicated Magentos and their mechanical drives have been completely eliminated.
• All AeroVee Core Engine Components were all selected by the design team for their suitability as an aircraft part.
• The AeroVee Crankshaft is Forged -AND- Nitrided 4340 Steel. The shrink fit design of the AeroVee prop hub yields one of the most robust prop hub attachments available on any aviation engine. (Note that our competitors use a very different shrink-fit hub design. They do not open up the nose of the crank case, which limits the thickness of their shrink fit design)
• To our knowledge, the AeroVee is the only VW-based AeroConversion to use Propeller Drive Lugs for the propeller-to-prop hub interface...a much more reliable and effective way to transfer load to the propeller.
• The AeroCarb with only two moving parts, infinitely adjustable needle jet, and many mounting options makes it the simplest and most versatile carb ever offered for aircraft use. It also includes a cockpit-controllable mixture control/fuel shut-off and doesn't require carb heat. Note that most competitors are still using complicated/obsolete carbs from the distant past. Note that the AeroCarb is 1 lb lighter than the Bing Carb supplied with Jabiru Engines (2 lbs, 14.4 oz for the Bing and 1 lb. 13.2 oz for the AeroCarb).
• All major Aviation Insurance Providers classify the AeroVee as one of the most favorable engines to insure. No AeroVee builder to date has had any problem getting insurance. Note that it's not something we thought we needed to advertise since we wouldn't sell a product that people couldn't insure. We will make sure that this is made abundantly clear in our web page and all future literature and advertising
• Competitor's VW-based Engine Conversions with similar displacement (2180cc) to the AeroVee should put out approximately the same horsepower. Where the AeroVee enjoys the greatest advantage over the competition is the way the conversion was researched, designed, tested, and produced using the latest technology.

Now, for some opinions:

• The more "off the shelf" brand-new Racing Automotive Engine Core Components that are used in a conversion, the lower the initial cost -AND- the easier and less expensive it is for the builder (or second or third owner) to locate and source components needed for routine maintenance. In our opinion, the Performance Racing Automotive environment these component parts were designed for is much harsher than Aviation Use, where the oil is changed very regularly, compression ratios are lower. The AeroVee uses more "off the shelf" brand-new Racing Engine Core Components than any of its competitors.
• On propellers, there are no good, reliable, and affordable ground (or air)-adjustable propellers in existence. In our opinion, a wood or composite-coated wood-core propeller is the best choice for a direct-drive engine that produces its power at high rpm. Any extra money ($4000-$5000) spent on adjustable propellers is much better spent on a Jabiru 3300.
• At any of the fly-ins, all you have to do is go look at the competitors engines and then come look at the AeroVee. You will have an immediate feeling of an elegant, light-weight and sophisticated design that will deliver the flight performance and reliability you are looking for.

When you go to select your VW AeroConversion Engine, we strongly suggest you ask whatever manufacturer the following questions. The answers to these for the AeroVee are included below for your reference.

1. What is included with your "complete engine package" and what is the price?
2. What other items will I need to fly my engine and what are their costs?
3. What is the total "flying" FWF Weight of your conversion including cooling baffles, exhaust, and carb and manifold?
4. What type of aircraft are your conversions flying in and how were they tested?
5. When (what year) were your conversion components developed and first flown?
6. What is the performance of your conversions in these aircraft?
7. What kind of Firewall Forward Support do you provide?
8. What kind of support is given after the sale and is there a dedicated technical assistant who can be easily reached?
9. What kind of warranty is offered on your component parts?

Q1: What is included with your "complete engine package" and what is the price?
A1: Everything you see in this image except for the exhausts (intake manifold, carb,and dual ignition are all included) http://www.aeroconversions.com/aero_vee_2002.html
Total package price is $5995 (2-into-1 exhausts are $395)

Q2: What other items will I need to fly my engine and what are their costs?
A2: wiring, fuel lines and fittings, battery, air filter, cooling baffle material (plans included in the AeroVee kit). Total of about $200 of additional items. Note: all of these additional items are listed for you as a "shopping list" by supplier and part number in the AeroVee FWF Manual)

Q3: What is the total flying, wet FWF Weight of your conversion including cooling baffles, exhaust, and carb and manifold?
A3: The AeroVee 2180 FWF package weighs 167 lbs "wet".

Q4: What type of aircraft are your conversions flying in and how were they tested?
A4:AeroVee Conversions have flown in the Sonex, Waiex, Xenos, Sonerai, Zenair 701, Flitzer, and Dragonfly and are have been sold to builders 10 more aircraft designs. These will be flying in the coming months. Watch for a revamped AeroConversions site coming soon, which is the next project for Mark Schaible (the architect of the SonexAircraft.com web site)

Q5: When (what year) were your conversion components developed and first flown?
A5: the modern AeroVee 2180 Conversion was developed from late 1998 through 2002, when it was first offered for sale. We flew 4 different iterations of the AeroVee in the Sonex Tri-Gear Prototype and made roughly 60 significant design changes through the 4-year development process. There is presently an AeroVee-powered demonstrator Waiex, Sonex, and Xenos being regularly flown at the Sonex Factory here in Oshkosh. I love them all.

Q6: What is the performance of your conversions in these aircraft?
A6:cruise 130 mph. Top speed 150 mph at sea level. The rest of the performance specs are located on our newly revamped sonexaircraft.com web site under 80 hp 2180 AeroVee:
http://www.sonexaircraft.com/aircraft/sonex.html
http://www.sonexaircraft.com/aircraft/waiex.htm
http://www.sonexaircraft.com/aircraft/xenos.html

Q7: What kind of Firewall Forward Support do you provide?
A7: the best manuals and assembly guides in the industry. A Complete Assembly DVD and Manual is sent out with every AeroVee Engine Kit. Each AeroVee Engine also includes the very detailed and comprehensive FWF Sonex/AeroVee Installation manual

Q8. What kind of support is given after the sale and is there a dedicated technical assistant who can be easily reached?
A8: phone/fax/e-mail support provided by Sonex Aircraft, LLC. All inquiries are responded to quickly and efficiently by technical experts who have developed,assembled, and flown all of the AeroVee and AeroCarb Products.
Phone (Tech Line): (920) 230-8324
Hours: 10AM-12PM, 1PM-4PM M-F CST
Fax (920)-426-8333
E-mail: tech@sonexaircraft.com

Q9: What kind of warranty is offered on your component parts?
A9: Also, the best in the business. You break it, you bought it. A defective part and it's replaced at our warranty expense. It wears out and you can purchase a new one shipped directly from the factory as quickly as possible. Just like the Sonex, Waiex, and Xenos all parts of the AeroVee Conversion are identified clearly by part number, saving both customer and factory time and money. Any replacement/service AeroVee Engine parts are available for individual purchase by AeroVee Engine Builders.

It is tough to find another conversion that offers so much for the price. In my opinion, the AeroVee is in a class by itself in the Aviation World and continues to gain market share and popularity as a result of it.

--
Jeremy Monnett
General Manager
Sonex Aircraft, LLC
www.sonexaircraft.com
Tel (Info/Orders): 920.231.8297
Tel (Tech Line): 920.230.8324
Fax: 920.426.8333
E-mail: info@sonexaircraft.com

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