40 | Pilot June 2018 | pilotweb.aero
replied. The first aircraft I sampled
was a Bristell SW (‘SW’ standing
for short wing), fitted with a
wooden three-blade constant
speed Hoffmann propeller. The
prop was quite interesting in its
own right, being of the curved
‘Scimitar’ type and having really
quite a broad chord, bearing in
mind the horses available.
Cranking the engine into life
confirmed Siegi’s claim that this
aspect of the nine series engine had
indeed been significantly improved.
The combination of the ‘soft-start’
system, quill shaft and improved
clutch really has made starting the
engine feel much less harsh. The
engine also seemed to tick over
more smoothly but−as Siegi was
at pains to point out to me several
times during our conversations−
from cooling to vibration, the
quality of the installation is aTech Log: Rotax 915iS