915is Updates in the Kitfox?

[av8rps]

ULPower? Still surprised No One Has popped one in. I was going to until I got a deal on my engine. It’s lighter, costs the same as the titan I believe, and runs on auto fuel. The 130hp model would be waaay cheaper than the 915 and the titan. Looks like zenith is having good success with them

On the Highlander "wings forum" you can read about the struggles a builder went through installing and operating a UL 130 hp engine by searching for UL350. He eventually got it to work good, and out of fairness, in many regards it had some great attributes (simple, nice "aircraft type" sound, etc). But if you read all of "Stede52's posts on it, as my memory serves me, after he sold it he admits he wouldn't do the UL engine again. He admits a zippered/modified 912 will outperform it, be lighter, and burn less fuel. And as much as I hate to say it, those are common shortcomings when comparing against a 912, as to be truly effective it needs a PSRU as it turns higher rpm than a standard aircraft engine. So prop efficiency is just not in the same league as the 912.

Fwiw, the 6 cylinder 130 hp Jabiru has similar performance. Non geared high revving engines just don't work well on STOL type aircraft. They will however work reasonably well on faster planes that typically use shorter props. But so will a 912.

With all that said, I'll be surprised if the 915 doesn't provide outstanding performance. I agree it is a bit pricey, but I personally think it will get the job done that most other engines won't. Time will tell...