Update 08/05/2000
The decision is made but now where is the MONEY?

Prior to Oshkosh 2000, the top of my list was the Franklin 350. One had been installed and was flying on a KIS Cruiser in South Africa.   I was encouraged by that and had discussed the possibility of obtaining the engine mount and all baffling from the same builder (professional builder).   There were several issues to overcome including problems with clearance of the carburetor and the nose gear.   I had hoped to eliminate that by going with fuel injection.  Unfortunately, I could not find anybody who was offering fuel injection on the Franklin with the exception of Ellison.  The Ellison is a throttle body injection and that still posed the problem with the nose gear.   Add to that, a discussion with two builders from South Africa who were also building KIS Cruisers and familiar with the Franklin equipped plane.  They filled me in on the latest details which were not real encouraging. Seems they are having a very difficult time cooling the engine and have already had to pull it to replace cylinder liners after 10 hours.  (I have since learned that this was not an accurate account and the problems had more to do with the long term storage of the engine.)  Conclusion: The technical issues and downsides were getting too much for me.

That left the Continental IO-360 and the Powersport 215 (Rotary).   I had, for the most part, put the Lycoming IO-360 as out of reach price wise, besides I have never liked the rough running characteristics of the engine.  My preference was running toward the six cylinder Continental engine. I liked the Powersport Rotary but think it's over priced for an auto conversion and is not proven to my satisfaction for a family 4-place cruiser.  (Possibly a good choice for RV-6 or such.)  So, the list was getting pretty short by the time I visited Continental. (I did visit Lycoming but received little response and was largely ignored. Damn, they are proud of themselves.)

Now we get to Continental.  First I would like to say that I have never had better treatment anywhere than the Continental / Aerosance / Mattituck people gave me. They were outstanding and spent a great deal of time with me explaining all the options and prices.  I must give them credit, they are trying harder and showing more interest in the needs of the builders and owners.  Not only was I able to talk at length with representatives of all three companies but they introduced me to the owners of three aircraft flying their current offerings.  I was impressed by both their professional attitudes and their products.

The only sure Constant in life is Change

Oshkosh 2001 and I still had not ordered my engine.  Progress during the summer of 2000 was totally stopped due to an unbelievable summer heat wave that saw temps of 111 degrees F and lasted well into October.  The winter and early spring proved to be a very wet one and I came close to giving up on my dream.  The spring of 2001 revived my spirits and renewed my commitment to building.  I decided that I was not going to waste another summer because of the heat and bought an air-conditioner for the garage.  WOW! what a difference a little cool air made.  (Electric bill shot through the roof!) The result was a very productive spring and summer of building.  I had not ordered my engine yet so I decided that my trip to Oshkosh this year would be the best time to place that order.

Once again, I made the rounds and looked at all the engine choices, old and new.  Once again, I came to the same conclusion that I had reached the prior year, the Superior Air Parts XP-360 combined with the Aerosance FADEC System.  Superior was now offering the XP-360 as both an assemble it yourself kit and in fully assembled versions.  I talked with the representatives at length and attended one of their seminars but ended up leaving without having placed an order.  I had made up my mind on the engine but not on the full configuration and/or rather I would try to assemble it myself.  After a couple of months of discussion with Superior (and my wife) I finally placed my order last month (Nov, 2001) for the XP-IOF-360 engine.  This is the fully assembled version of the XP-360 with the Aerosance FADEC system to be installed by Superior.  I will hopefully will be looking for delivery sometime in February 2002.

The price?  Well, lets just say that it is more than I wanted to pay but, in my opinion, the best available choice for my mission requirements.  I was totally sold on the benefits of the FADEC system and when combined with the Superior XP-360 engine, produces a combination that equals (I think it exceeds) the best available from Lycoming or Continental at a substantial cost savings.  I could have gotten a cheaper engine for my plane but, I don't think I could have found one any better or that represented a better value.  Now on to finding a propeller which will give the maximum performance from this engine.

The choice of propeller may be almost as difficult and expensive as the engine.  My first choice was the Whirlwind Constant Speed but I have learned that the nose gear on the KIS Cruiser is directly in the way of the govenor and there is no way to work around it.  I am now searching for alternatives which current include the MT Propeller, an electric constant speed, the AirMaster Propeller, another electric constant speed, or possibly the Prince Propeller.  

(Click on logos for link to their web sites.)

Superior Air Parts XP-360 (Product Brochure)