Shoot, with engine lead times like that, I might be able to actually afford it by the time it's ready! Aw, who am I kidding, I'm a dreamer these days. Maybe some year. And maybe I'll pick up the winning lotto ticket off the sidewalk tomorrow, too. Anyway, I appreciate Chris's honesty about the lead times and I enjoy hearing the industry updates even though I'm not a customer myself.
I thought I wanted a Thunderbolt engine for my RV7 when I walked into the Lycoming tent at Oshkosh this year. When I asked about lead times I was surprised to hear three years vs 6 months for the OEM version through Vans. When I asked the Lycoming guy (it wasn’t Chris Gaymen) what sort of lead time improvements were in the works he offered nothing but did say “Thunderbolt engines are the our lowest priority at Lycoming”.
I have overhauled and built engines all my life and in my opinion, Lycoming doesn't have much to be proud of. Lycoming never put the camshaft in the right place and prices are asinine! If they gave a rip, they would at least give us a simple manual pre-oiler for their crummy camshafts, and dehumidifier fittings in the case. They know many aircraft engines sit for weeks or more but for nearly 100 years have never done anything about it! Then there is uneven air distribution to the cylinders. With a little care, the oil sump castings could be adjusted to correct this problem once and for all. But again, no effort here either. They're not in it for quality. Just the bucks. It seems prices are at the point today where somebody could start a new design and do it better and probably cheaper... Gas, NOT a diesel!
![Aircraft Engine Overhaul [How It's Done]](/img/1.gif)
I’d better watch this again as I missed the Thunderbolt ‘update’. Same price, same 2.5-3 year lead time.
Shoot, with engine lead times like that, I might be able to actually afford it by the time it's ready!
Aw, who am I kidding, I'm a dreamer these days. Maybe some year. And maybe I'll pick up the winning lotto ticket off the sidewalk tomorrow, too.
Anyway, I appreciate Chris's honesty about the lead times and I enjoy hearing the industry updates even though I'm not a customer myself.
I thought I wanted a Thunderbolt engine for my RV7 when I walked into the Lycoming tent at Oshkosh this year. When I asked about lead times I was surprised to hear three years vs 6 months for the OEM version through Vans. When I asked the Lycoming guy (it wasn’t Chris Gaymen) what sort of lead time improvements were in the works he offered nothing but did say “Thunderbolt engines are the our lowest priority at Lycoming”.
I have overhauled and built engines all my life and in my opinion, Lycoming doesn't have much to be proud of. Lycoming never put the camshaft in the right place and prices are asinine! If they gave a rip, they would at least give us a simple manual pre-oiler for their crummy camshafts, and dehumidifier fittings in the case. They know many aircraft engines sit for weeks or more but for nearly 100 years have never done anything about it!
Then there is uneven air distribution to the cylinders. With a little care, the oil sump castings could be adjusted to correct this problem once and for all. But again, no effort here either. They're not in it for quality. Just the bucks.
It seems prices are at the point today where somebody could start a new design and do it better and probably cheaper... Gas, NOT a diesel!
Very uninspiring Gayman.