From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform

Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, Fly Corvair has been building and supplying Corvair conversions since 1989. The goal of company owner William Wynne was to keep the simplicity, reliability, and durability of the brands we know and love while making them accessible to the experimental community.

The Corvair conversion is a six-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled, direct-drive engine, following the same basic architecture as certified Lycomings and Continentals. The design even sheds a few pounds and inches, making them well-suited for smaller frames looking for high power.

“The most reliable power plant is the simplest engine that will do the job, operated by somebody who understands the machine that they’re operating,” Wynne noted.

The engine is especially popular in two-seat Zenith aircraft, with about 80% of installations going into models like the 601, 650, 750 Cruiser, and 750 STOL. The most common version is the 112-hp model, with an installed weight around 235 lb—comparable to or lighter than a Continental O-200.

Builders can assemble the engine in about 20 hours or spend an extra $1,000 for a weekend with Wynne, completing the work at Fly Corvair’s facility in Florida. To date, the company has supplied around 500 engines for upwards of 60 different aircraft types.

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