Re: Hot Shot Conversion
I had one of Carl's Hotshot turbos installed in a 112A I purchased last summer. I installed the turbo with the purchase so I don't have any non-turbo 112A historical data to compare to but my experience has been as follows:
Operating out of a higher elevation, higher DA environment in Utah/Colorado the rate of climb isn't something I've specifically tracked but seems like I'm usually somewhere between 800-1,200 FPM. Dodging some cumulus I've hit 17,000MSL but usually fly between 10,000 & 14,000MSL. Still had plenty of power at 17K. I primarily focus on ground speed but when I've checked true airspeed it's been upwards of 165kts, at least that's what my E6B showed..
Operationally having a manual waste gate does require a bit more mental bandwidth but that's improving with familiarity. I had to learn the plane and the turbo all at once, if you're not making a full transition and have time in your plane already I suspect a Hotshot will require less time to get comfortable with . Additionally I've had some issues with high oil temps and can still hit 225-230F on climb out and cruise around 222F with a pinch of cowl flaps to assist but it's hot this time of year in Utah so I try to avoid flights on 100F+ days.
I haven't done too much with short field takeoffs but on a couple of occasions I've turned up the wick, held the brakes and climb out was very quick even on an 8,400 DA day at Steamboat. Doing t & g's and comparing with & without turbo the difference is dramatic.
Make sure your installer is completely familiar with the unit and what's involved. My install took quite a bit longer than forecast by both the installer and RCM so for budgetary purposes I'd suggest doubling the hours involved.
Would I do it again?...best way I can explain it is one day I chose to fly without the turbo active due to a faulty TIT sensor and on that day, a warm one, the plane was a dog. The performance improvement is worth it and makes a big difference.
