Azalea Aviation
Bill Clapp at Azalea Aviation offers Corvair engines as a sideline to his main business, Saberwing aircraft. Those planes use his 100- and 120-hp Spyder Corvair engines.
The naturally aspirated 100-hp engine is built from reconditioned GM parts reinforced by a steel front hub on the crankshaft, an added front main bearing, nitriding, a 30-amp rear-mounted alternator and new service parts. The 120-hp version gets a new, counterweighted stroker crankshaft yielding 3.1 liters and without cutting the case for overly large cylinders.
Fly Corvair
The must-visit Corvair shop is Fly Corvair where William Wynne holds court. The outspoken force energizing Fly Corvair, William has made flying Corvairs his life’s calling for the past 35 years.
Wynne has developed a variety of Corvair engines but set them all aside in favor of one: the 110-hp, 2850cc version. “It’s the main engine I am promoting as the best combination of quality and still good value. It offers all the good tech improvements, such as Ross pistons and other advances, but doesn’t have the high-end costs of recent years. As a complete kit with carb, ignition, starter and so on it’s $14,250. If you want it assembled it’s $15,250.”
Building a single engine is also more efficient. For example, all pistons are machined to the same weight, so single-cylinder repair kits are kept boxed on the shelf for immediate delivery. Customers can buy one or six of these repair kits knowing engine balance won’t change; the parts simply need to be installed.
Wynne, a consummate storyteller and communicator, is ready to offer his expertise and shop to those wanting to assemble their own engine under his supervision. You can even run the finished engine on his test stand. He also offers a wide range of engine manuals, supporting pieces such as intake and exhaust manifolds, cowling parts and propellers, plus he gives many talks and is a genuine supporter of the builder community. He’ll tell you how the Corvair engine’s niche is offering a user-friendly, affordable, low-frills path to aviation and not to overcomplicate things.
Sport Performance Aviation
Dan and Rachel Weseman own Sport Performance Aviation (SPA), maker of the Panther sport plane powered by Corvair engines, among others. They have always worked closely with Wynne at FlyCorvair for their Corvair engines but do offer two large-displacement versions of their own along with a fifth bearing kit.
The larger displacement engines are either a 120-hp 3.0 big bore or a 125-hp 3.3-liter big-bore and stroker combination. The latter uses a billet stroker crankshaft. Both of these engines are premium, higher-powered options selling for considerably more than the standard displacement engines from Wynne. They are shipped unassembled.
