I wasn’t happy with the engine mount (Firewall to Rotax ring mount) that I had welded for the 912is engine. It had slag inclusions, pin holes, a crack and was badly warped. It was a good attempt, but apparently the MIG welding process should of been done with TIG. My friend Tom-the-welder from the local Snohomish EAA chapter volunteered to weld me a new mount, if I could build a jig, and cut a set of new tubes. Mark Pringle at Rocky Mountain Kitplans was kind enough to let me barrow the welding jig that George Happ built for his 914 powered S-19 ( the 914 engine also uses the same Rotax ring mount). So I picked up his jig in Utah when I was on a road trip to Colorado to visit family, I will return the jig when Mark is out here delivering a plane with his trailer. I ordered a set of CNC cut tubes from the same vendor he used (they still had the dataset, VR3 engineering in Stratford Ontario). When everything was ready I loaded up the jig at took it to Tom's. Tom was able to weld the mount in about 4 hours. It’s nice to have friends with skills who aren’t afraid to use them. Thanks Mark, Thanks Tom!!
