An un-answerable question, but here goes...

Given the supply chain issues now, ordering big components (engine, prop, etc) well in advance of needing them is important. So, how the heck does anyone know when they're 6 months away from wanting the engine to arrive? I know we all build at different rates, granted.

Still, was there a moment in the build that stuck out in anyone's mind as the trip wire that should trigger a 6 month lead time engine order? I don't want to wait for it with nothing to do, but neither do I want the warranty clock ticking away while it sits in a crate in the corner.

I'm planning on ordering the engine when I have an engine mount to put it on that's attached to the firewall with the gear also attached.

SantosDumont said:

I'm planning on ordering the engine when I have an engine mount to put it on that's attached to the firewall with the gear also attached.

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And you're OK with waiting 6+ months at that point?

The moment I knew it was time to order was June 30th when I read prices were going up (again) July 1st. Lycoming has been awesome at holding the order as long as possible, but it sounds like it will be here next month for sure. The finish kit won't be here til at least March, but I don't mind tripping over the engine for a few months for the $4000 price difference.

I sort of went through a similar thought process about a year ago (arguably just before things started to go really bad!). I received my fuse kit in early December, however when I looked at it long and hard and considered finishing kit lead times, I had placed an order for the finishing kit just after Christmas (arrived June). That then got me thinking about the engine......Sun'n'fun discounts popped up around April/May, and for me the exchange rate to the $US looked OK, so I went & ordered an engine & prop. Glad I did considering the 13% price rise just a few weeks later. At the time Van's quoted 8-12mths on a Thunderbolt engine, but once the order was placed and I spoke to Jeff at Lycoming, his leadtime was around 5 months. Engine is due to ship from Van's in December, so I'll get it in Oz around Jan-Feb next year.

All things considered at the moment, it's much easier to push a pending order delivery back, than to miraculously materialise at the front of the queue at the instant you place an order.

Also, my engine mount was BO'd, and it arrived about a month ago - i.e. 10 months after finishing kit order was placed. Now I just need to finish the fuselage so I can fit all this expensive stuff to the front of it!

Check with Lycoming for details, but the warranty clock doesn't typically start until 1st engine start or some calendar limit after delivery that as I recall is pretty generous.

FlyingDiver said:

And you're OK with waiting 6+ months at that point?

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I'm sure I can easily find 6 months worth of stuff to do in the panel. I want the engine to be the very last thing that arrives and shows up to a plane that's ready for it to be bolted on and go for the first flight.

I don't want it to sit in the corner for 6 months wasting warranty.

SantosDumont said:

I'm sure I can easily find 6 months worth of stuff to do in the panel. I want the engine to be the very last thing that arrives and shows up to a plane that's ready for it to be bolted on and go for the first flight.

I don't want it to sit in the corner for 6 months wasting warranty.

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Not that I'm advocating letting a new engine sit longer than necessary, the warranty doesn't start until first start in most cases...

Per Lycoming: When does my warranty start? For most engines, the warranty period begins on either the first date of operation or 24 months from the engine or part shipment date from Lycoming, whichever comes first. The warranty is valid for registered and non-registered engines.

So as long as you're not leaving your engine sit for a crazy long time warranty shouldn't be a consideration.

good luck!

"...I want the engine to be the very last thing that arrives and shows up to a plane that's ready for it to be bolted on and go for the first flight..."

There is still a ton of work to do after the engine is hung...

rocketman1988 said:

"...I want the engine to be the very last thing that arrives and shows up to a plane that's ready for it to be bolted on and go for the first flight..."

There is still a ton of work to do after the engine is hung...

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Yup. Worked on it a few hours a day most days after we hung the engine in October last year, it still wasn't fully ready to fly until mid April despite being pretty much done with the panel and the canopy and most of the way with the fiberglass.

Buy the engine when you have the money before you spend it all on the panel.

I hung the engine on April 3 and first flight was June 22nd. That was working on it about 40 hours a week and all else be finished. There
is a pile of work FWF and the cowling.

Order everything

Last year when I became aware of all the supply issues coming, I went ahead and ordered everything. Figured I was going to need it anyway and really don't like waisting time waiting on supplies.

SantosDumont said:

I'm sure I can easily find 6 months worth of stuff to do in the panel. I want the engine to be the very last thing that arrives and shows up to a plane that's ready for it to be bolted on and go for the first flight.

I don't want it to sit in the corner for 6 months wasting warranty.

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You will have quite a bit of work once you get the engine fitting the cowling and all the firewall forward electrical and sensors. But - these engines pickled from the factory can sit for a long time and be fine. Just store them in a nice, dry place like the entry. Your wife will love it.

I definitely don't have the experience everyone else has here, but for my order planning I reviewed a number of online build logs to get a rough idea how much time people are spending on each kit, and I've been tracking how much time I'm putting in for comparison. I can project a rough completion date for each kit from that information and I've planned my order schedule based on the latest lead-times from Van's so that the next kit will arrive roughly at the time I finish the previous one.

Caveats: I'm building an RV-12 as E-LSA so there's less variation in build time, and I'm still on the first kit and will have a 5 month gap until the second arrives because I didn't want to order it until I knew what I was really getting into. Turns out building is as much fun as flying!

My preference would have been to delay purchasing my engine until late in 2022, but the cost hike in June this year pushed me to order my engine and prop at that time, even with the constraint that we had to take delivery by the end of 2021. I'm just about to put the firewall on the fuselage so I'm still a long way away from needing an engine, but i decided that the risk of letting the engine sit pickled from the factory in my house and having the 2 year grace period on the warranty pass before first flight was still worth the cost savings. Surprisingly, Lycoming called me a few days after the order was placed to ask when I actually need the engine. I told them to put me on the very bottom of the list which helps them get motors to people who need them sooner and fits my personal timeline better.

The 0-320 I fly behind in my Cherokee was new in 2004 and accumulated 140 hours before sitting from 2013-2016 when I bought it. I've since put 500 hrs on it and its healthy as can be. If the motor can come back healthy from a period of disuse like that, I have full faith that a factory new engine can hang out in a climate controlled space for a while while I keep working.

I'd rather make the avionics the absolute last thing I buy for my place. Electronics age far worse than a Lycoming.