Wagabond engines

[mechman]

Building a Wagabond thinking the o200 will be a good choice. Any one have experience they could share flying a Wagabond with any engine would be great. I will be flying out of 7200 ft elevation grass strip 3800ft long.

[6PapaWhiskey]

I've owned a Wagabond for about 2 1/2 years and have logged about 275 hours in it (mostly solo). It has a 115 HP Lycoming O-235-L2C (from a Cessna 152) and the gross weight is set at 1320 lbs to fall within LSA rules instead of the 1450 limit set by Wag Aero. I'm based at an airport with a field elevation of 200' MSL. While the plane is a good performer, it is no hot rod. Cruise speed is about 105-110 MPH and initial climb rate is around 700 FPM. The highest cruise altitude I've used is 5,500' MSL and that was solo. Climb rate at that altitude was about what you'd expect - about 400 FPM.

Based on my experience, I would say that the O-200 might a bit anemic for mountain operations. If you're thinking of something bigger, the Wagabond can have forward CG issues with larger and heavier engines, especially with heavier props. At the time of purchase, my Wagabond was near the forward CG limit when solo with a lightweight wooden prop. 3-point landings were quite a challenge. I installed a lightweight alternator and battery which helped a bit. Perhaps others here have experience with larger engines on the Wagabond.

If you do choose to go with the O-235, recommend you stick with the later engines with the dynafocal mounts. Parts for the earlier engines seem to be getting scarce and expensive.

[Stephen]

There are some worthwhile prop options that will make a difference.

[dgapilot]

Just a couple observations, the PA-15 & -17 started life with 65 hp, so more HP will improve performance as long as you don’t increase weight. Compare a Cessna 150 vs a 152 to get an idea of performance difference between the O-200 vs the O-235. A good O-200 timed at 28 degrees btc will be equal or better than an O-235 in the Cessna. For higher altitude, displacement will help, but at the cost of weight. Learn all you can about density altitude and how it impacts performance. The propeller choice will have almost as much impact on performance as the engine choice.

[mechman]

Thanks for the info, was thinking the o200 with a ground adjustable prop. This would keep the weight down and would not have such a forward cg.

[Ononeleg]

I don't know how they'd fit in the cowling, but some of the higher output Rotax or that Apex engine conversion would definitely give you some extra hp without adding much weight. You should try them so we all can know if we want to do the same later.

[rowdy49]

Has anyone ever purchased the Pa-22 drawings from Univair? I would like to find the dimensions for the Pa-22 as I would like to build a Wagabond using the dimensions. I see where the SWPC has a cd but was wondering which one would be the better purchase?

[Steve Pierce]

The Vagabond CD has lots of great information. If I was looking at building a Vagabond I would see it as a must have. I use both CDs from the Club on a regular basis and find their drawings very useful.

[dgapilot]

I’ve got both the Vagabond and Short Wing CD from the club. Both are excellent references. Mind you, neither have ALL the drawings, but with some searching you can usually find what you need. I also frequently reference the Unofficial SuperCub drawing web site and the Northlands SuperCub drawing CD. Keep in mind that Piper recycled drawings from one model to the next frequently. If you can’t find something in one place, you may find it in another.


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