Sun N Fun 2019 was a success for Viking. Between existing and potential new customers, the display was busy from early morning until after the evening airshow.

Clearly, an entire community exists around the Viking Engines as demonstrated by the many friends and customers spending time at the display. Doesn't get any better than that!

We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone for making it an unforgettable year.

Viking 90, 130 and 180 HP

On the way to Sun N Fun 2019

Dwayne demonstrating low and slow

Dan and Alissa in the ultralight area viewing the Viking 90 in front of the LAMA display.

Dan is a huge part of the aviation community

David Kadel and his wife stopped in to say hi, they recently purchased a 90 for their 701

A total of 4 90HP engines are now being installed in the 701 model

Nick Heintz loving the Viking SD

With low ceilings the day we were travelling to Lakeland, it gave us the opportunity to take in the scenery.

Packed it up and called it a day. Sunburn, sore feet and long days that you don't forget. Sun N Fun 2019 was good to us.

Not pictured here is Jon Croke (of HomebuiltHELP) who had the chance to sneak away and join us for dinner

Enjoying the festivities after a long day, every night Jan flew the Rans S12 powered by the Viking 90 in the ultralight area to demonstrate the power and give builders more options for a lightweight powerplant without sacrificing power.

Dwayne and Alissa took the Zenith Super Duty back to Edgewater (X50)

The four main engine companies who serve Zenith builders. Viking, UL Power, Jabiru and Corvair jo intly sponsored an informal dinner for Zenith Aircraft builders at Sun n Fun. Be sure to stop by next year.

The Viking 90 powered Rans S12 is a showpiece.

Kathy flew the Rans S12 to Lakeland and enabled Jan to fly it in the showcase every night.

Viking just did the 25 hour inspection of the aircraft. See that video on the right.

If you are looking for more information on the fuel burn of the Viking 90, you can see that video below.

Flight from PALH to PAED for the Alaska Aviation Gathering

A busy show with tons of interest in the Viking engine and the Zenith 750

Jim Davis in his Viking 130 powered Zenith CH-650 taking his first flight after Phase One completion

John Nealon recently upgraded his Viking 110 fuel system to a 2.5 gallon header tank.

John is a part of the EAA Chapter 42 in Alaska and also has a great builders log.

Anyone interested in taking a look at his build you can click HERE

"Getting ready for John Robinson ’s first flight in his AV84ALL Zenith 750 Cruzer. Long road to get to this point! The plane is flying great and Viking engine is smooth and strong! So many people to thank for helping to make this possible. Thanks to everyone involved with this project!"

-Lewis Brown, Viking 130/Rans S20 Owner

Be sure to click on the link to see the first flight of his hand controlled aircraft, using a donated Viking 130 engine. HERE .

Dick Booher originally got to know Viking by upgrading his UL 350is Engine with the Viking 2.5 Header tank for a more efficient and improved fuel system. MORE HERE

Shortly after this, he became a partner in another aircraft with Rick Spurling, Gerry Lynn and Chris Beck and the choice of engine became the Viking 130.

They are just now finishing up a beautiful paint job and installing the engine and avionics. The 130 continues to sell weekly for the use in the low wing Zenith and it couldn't be a better match for the airframe .

Get a closer look at their plane in the video to the left.

Ed started a KitFox 7 but later found he was happier working with metal. His Viking 110 powered Zenith Cruzer is a beauty as you can see from the pictures.

We take pride in being able to make flying affordable and safe all around the world. Viking has over a hundred engines outside the USA and that number continues to grow.

Franz at AERO in Friedrichshafen sporting his Viking shirt

Full Flap Landings + Coastal Scenery

Zenith 750 Cruzer (kitbuilt) circuit practice with full flap landings, plus coastal scenery flight; Fleureiu Peninsula, South Australia, at 8x speed, no music added. Last landing with half flaps and side slipped. Camera beneath the plane. For fellow Builders and Relatives.

Click into the video below to hear Art talk more about his build, the aircraft and his engine choice

Click HERE for some pictures of the Zenair Viking 180 CH-801

Mike Wilson has proven himself to be an incredible builder and a very motivated one, he is currently working on his 4th Zenith, but this time he's moving forward with a low wing to add to the collection.

If you want to find out more about the Powrachute Airwolf, get in touch with them and they can help get you into a Viking Airwolf combo! What is not to love, 130 HP, easier maintenance, more power, more affordable and all around a better option. You can get more information on their website HERE

Viking is continuing to grow and we can't do it alone, we are OEM suppliers for multiple companies and have decided to move forward with offering dealer positions for a selected few that really match what we are looking for.

If your in the Australia area, James is your go-to. He will be receiving his aircraft equipped with the Viking 130 very soon and we are looking forward to him demonstrating everything it is capable of.

He can be reached at: [email protected]

His Facebook is HERE

His Website is HERE

A snippet about James:

With over 24 years experience in the field of aviation. I am currently building my own kit, and as soon as it is finished, I will start on the next one. Building is a great activity all of it's own.

I have spent time under paragliders and parachutes, in 2-stoke trikes and 2-seater turbines - but you can't beat the freedom of your own all-metal cross-country machine. My Zenair STOL can fit in my shed, be flown from my farm and be fueled from the local service station. Because I built it, I can also maintain it and modify it to suit myself. Brilliant.

Welcome to the Viking Team!

Some customer feedback on the Viking Steel Bungee if you haven't taken the leap yet. The Viking Bungee works for ALL Zenith, new or old nose gear, it all works! No more stress about breaking a bungee, see a write up and some reviews below.

Funny thing – the original bungee on my 701 lasted for years. But with about 5 years and 200 hours on the aircraft, I was persuaded to replace it. So, I ordered one from Zenith, also the bungee replacement tool which helped - only to find the bungee was too big for my plane. It was really loose and with the gear off the ground, I could push the bungee off the pegs on the nose gear leg.

 

A quick call to Zenith, and Roger kindly digs up a smaller one and sends it to me. It fits nicely, thank you! But, the bugger failed only a year later! Nasty sensation – felt like the prop was going to hit the ground. So I order a new one, and replace it (getting pretty good at this…)

 

Another year or so goes by, and I’m out in my 701. I land out somewhere in the middle of nowhere (which is kind of the point of having a 701). Taking off, during the 701's trademark ridiculously short ground run, the nose feels a little lower than it should be. But then I’m airborne, so all seems well – for a couple of seconds. Then it feels like it did last time I was flying a twin and the instructor pulled one of the throttles to idle – the plane just starts yawing hard to the right. Full pressure on the left rudder pedal has no effect. An old joke goes through my head – something about being up here forever if all I can do is go in circles. The plane does seem flyable though, which is obviously a relief – flyable if I don’t try and make a left turn, that is. It’s going to be right traffic today, I think!

 

Then, as soon as it appeared, the problem seems to go away – only to be followed by the strong smell of burning rubber. By this time I’m less than five minutes from South Lakeland Airport, but I descend to tree-top height and keep over open pasture as much as possible, in case it becomes prudent to abandon ship. I also turn off the fuel pump and have my hand on the ignition switch, ready to transform myself into a glider if I see any sign of fire.  

 

Turns out I don’t need my glider experience with the RAF all those years ago. I land and remove the cowl, and here’s what falls out:

This explains the stuck rudder as well as the burning smell. When the bungee failed on the left, the remaining part of the bungee tried to twist the nose gear to the right, and then fell and jammed between the gear leg and the firewall. Eventually, it must have fallen out - at which point the rudder freed up – and of course it fell onto the exhaust and started to cook.

 

You can imagine at this point I don’t even want to see another bungee. I recall something in a Zenith newsletter about a new bungee-less system, so I place a quick call to Zenith. Seb tells me that they have a kit for the 750, but not yet for the 701. But he helpfully suggests chatting to Viking Engines (who do the very attractively priced Honda engine conversions) - they apparently have a “steel bungee” kit. A quick call to Jan at Viking and a review of their site, and I place an order for one.

Meantime, on removing the nose gear in preparation, we notice a crack in the flange that holds the top end of the nose-gear in position:

Luckily, I have with me A&P extraordinaire Ray Torres, who rapidly fabricates some doublers and installs them. His Lake Renegade, which he restored from a basket case, won trophies at Sun n Fun – so you know he’s good at this kind of thing.

 

A few days later, we install the steel bungee kit, and it works really well. At first try, as shown, the gear only had about 1.5" of travel. Another quick call to Viking and Alissa tells me Jan suggests adding a spacer. They are getting ready for Sun n Fun so she offers to bring it over - that's service!

We added the spacer today, and now have nearly 3" of travel. The kit features a neat pre-load feature so that, when the aircraft is in the air and the gear is resting on its bottom stop, the tension in the spring is removed. Think of it as being able to adjust how far off the bottom stop the gear has to travel before the spring engages.

 

Anyway, this has the effect of DRAMATICALLY lightening the rudder in flight because the spring is not pushing the gear leg down onto the bottom stops the entire time. The old joke among 701 pilots is that the rudder is "set it and forget it" - the bungee makes it so stiff. But not anymore! The rudder is now as light and responsive as the other controls. Great improvement!

 

My advice to anyone about to replace the bungee - order one of these kits. You won't regret it.

 

Seb Dewhurst

We have introduced a map to enable builders and flyers to see where other Viking customers are in relation to each other. It is a work in progress and we are still adding names daily. If you see someone you would like to reach out to, contact [email protected] for more information. CLICK HERE

STAY CONNECTED

We are continuing to build the Viking Community with 1650+ people on our Forum and 500+ customers and climbing we want to hear from you! Send in your pictures and latest journeys with your Viking Engine to [email protected]

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