Rotax Engine Web

I am considering joining the Rotax Owners dot com site for $30/year. Their ads look pretty good, as do the preview videos. Example is the Carb dissasembly video. I was thinking that it might be a nice tool. Thought I would ask if any of you are using it, and see what your thoughts are as to the value..............Tom

Rotax Owners

I am a member of the group and think they are worth the money for the videos, especially for those who are inexperienced or don't do a procedure often.

Having said that, I find it is hard to tell much about who they are. What are the credentials of the posters? A couple of years ago, I was curious about the experience, ratings, credentials and so forth of the group so I searched around the net and found out very little about them - they are some outfit out of Vancouver, if I remember right, but I didn't end up with a list of John Doe, Jack Smith, etc who were A&P, LSMR-A, or whatever, so it's hard to tell their background. One can track some names on the forum and eventually get a sense of the experience level of some individuals, but you still don't have what I would call openness. It's not like John Frank in the Cessna Pilots Association or Mike Busch with Savvy, where you can draw conclusions about the credibility of the author.

From what I can tell, they have no direct ties to Rotax.

I was told that the blog on their site is visible to the public. Check out the top discussion - "Maintenance And Aftermarket Parts" for an impression of how some persons feel about some of the postings. I'm one of the posters in that blog (I am a very rare poster on that site). Roger Lee, who posts here, is one who takes an opposing view.
http://www.rotax-owner.com/rotax-blog

Here is my bias - Rotax is the Apple of aviation engines. It has developed and maintains a cult or mystic about what maintenance can be done by what individuals that is far out of proportion to reality. If you google Rotax Big Bore you will find in the Kitfox site and some German language sites evidence that some people are developing mods to the Rotax 912 and it's accessories.

I operate a Rotax 912ULS in my FD CTSW and two friends have 912's so we frequently have discussions about 912 topics. The attempt of Rotax to control the training of mechanics seems monopolistic, to me. The FAA blocked them from mandating training, so Rotax now tries to keep control through warranty.

No doubt, Roger Lee will post soon and disagree with my observations. Roger is a prime example of a member of the Rotax priesthood. He appears to be extremely experienced and knowledgeable about Rotax engines but is the first to tell you that you can't get all the information you need from Rotax manuals - you need to go to the Rotax schools and hear it from the lips of the anointed.

I went to two Rotax schools and disagree with Roger's conclusions, but we're drifting far afield here.

I think Rotax owners group is worth the money. Caveat emptor.

I think it is worth the money, particularly around annual time. Inspired a bit of confidence when I replaced my fuel pump with the newer version.

Regarding ROTAX and competition, you have to remember that Europe doesn't care so much about monopolies and competition as the U.S. All business there started out long ago "by permission of the king" - you had no "right" to do many things including starting a business (the "royal warrant.") The king's permission protected you from competition (and for which you paid a big kickback. If you watched "The Sopranos" you are familiar with the business model.) In time the king was replaced by state bureaucracies, now with the additional EU bureaucracy. Don't be smug, we are headed in the same direction... Consider the way the FAA restricts avionics.

Yep, $30 well spent! I also recommend the two day service and maintenance classes through Lockwood or California Power Systems.

Reply From Query To Rotax Owners dot com

I contacted Rotax Owners dot com with the following results. My query is at the bottom, and the reply is at the top. It sounds like a pretty professional group. You can see by the dates and times that the response was very timely.

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RotaxOwner Info <[email protected]>
Aug 29 (1 day ago)

to me
Hello Tom,

The ROTAX-OWNER.com website is factory-authorized by BRP.
(See http://flyrotax.com/customer-serviceImpressum/service-points.aspx )
The technical staff here are fully-certified iRMT trainers, and receive regular re-certifications at the ROTAX factory in Austria.
All of the maintenance procedures illustrated are official ROTAX ones.

Best regards, Michael

From: RotaxOwner Info <[email protected]>
Reply-To: Thomas Odehnal <[email protected]>
Date: Friday, August 29, 2014 at 10:49 AM
To: ". ." <[email protected]>
Subject: Rotax-Owner.com: Staff Qualifications

--------------------------------------------

This is an enquiry email via http://www.rotax-owner.com/ from:
Thomas Odehnal <[email protected]>

I built my RV-12 as amateur built, took the first two Rotax maintenance classes with Lockwood Aviation, and I am also an A&P/IA. Your advertised videos looks very interesting, but before joining, I would like to know of your credentials. Is your staff recognized by Rotax. Do they have approved training, and are they supported by the factory? And finally, how were your maintenance procedures developed, and do they come with any authority.

Thank you for your attention to this request.

Ragards, Tom

You had a lot better luck than I did when I was trying to research them. As of the last time I looked, they still did not sign their publications with an individual's name.
Did they by chance list their staff so we can verify their credentials?
Thanks for taking the time to check them out further.

I did not go any further with my queries. When I saw, "Factory authorized by BRP, and regular re-certifications at the ROTAX factory in Austria" I was pretty well satisfied.

Tom

Hi Tom,

Great group of guys that make up the Rotax website. I'm an admin and a tech there. They are always happy to answer questions. I hope it benefits you as you use your 912.