6 engines stolen

[Duckeggblue]

Reported In a couple of places that SIX engines stolen from Sutton Meadows Airfield Friday night.
Apart from the expense, that is a lot of people who can no longer fly.
What on earth can we do to stop theses people?

[A and C]

The Euro GA website has a thread that allows people to post the P/N & S/N of items that have gone missing, it might be worth posting the details toward people not to buy these engines, you might get lucky and have the police informed.

[Jan Olieslagers]

If they are (as I presume) Rotax, even more effective to report to Rotax themselves, they keep a list, per engine type, and periodically publish it as a service bulletin. The list is, sadly, quite long.

As an immediate show-stopper, reportedly available for some 5000 quid:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AK-47#...T-89-01131.jpg

[smarthawke]

Let's face it, anyone in the market for buying a Rotax 91x engine 'off the back of a lorry' is unlikely to worry if where it came from.

Unfortunately, there are purchasing scrotes as well as supplying scrotes.

[alex90]

Whatever you do - please please please don't buy from ANY non reputable shop. This will hopefully stop the black market from existing and stop these thieves from stealing in the first place! (If they can't sell to anyone - it would make the profits of scrap metal somewhat less attractive!)

[Jan Olieslagers]

It seems beyond any doubt to me that these thieves will not sell in the country where they stole - they are obviously not stupid.
Better to check the serial number, before buying, against the Rotax list. And make sure it is the original serial number.

[ChickenHouse]

With the typical lifetime paper history of aviation engines, at least in the certified world, I find it unlikely somebody would steel such. To whom could you possibly sell?

[Jan Olieslagers]

Rotaxen are generally used on non-certified aircraft. (Actually there are certified versions but those are quite rare.) Again, those thieves are not stupid.

[DirtyProp]

With the typical lifetime paper history of aviation engines, at least in the certified world, I find it unlikely somebody would steel such. To whom could you possibly sell?

Anybody looking for a really cheap, non-cert. engine and /or spare parts.
They could make more money selling the parts individually than the whole engine. As Jan wrote, the vast majority of these engines are not certified.

[Prophead]

Are there other known uses for the Rotax other than aircraft?

[oldairphot]

I believe that some motorcycle trikes use them, I saw one some time back can't remember it's name, sorry

[Jan Olieslagers]

Are there other known uses for the Rotax other than aircraft?

Assuming we are talking Rotax (which hasn't been confirmed as yet) and further assuming we are talking about the Rotax 912, which has been most plagued by this theft vague:

One could of course use them in a boat, or to drive a generator; but there are cheaper, simpler, less delicate engines for such applications. IMHO they'll never command more money than in the application they were meant for.
Neither do I much believe in their value when marketed as spare parts: major overhauls of these engines are rather exceptional, hence demand must be limited. Except perhaps in Eastern Europe - where I suspect most to go anyway.

[ArthurG]

All the evidence points to these being used in Eastern European kit-built aircraft. The thing that amazes me is that the thieves target low-houred versions, so the selling network must have built up a market reputation which they are trying to maintain. It makes me wonder if they are somehow given new identities and sold as legitimate engines to unknowing customers.

[m.Berger]

Makes one think that a mistaken hours figure on Ginfo could be a sensible error to make.

[FullWings]

Steal-to-order? Like a lot of cars that make their way east from Europe...

[DirtyProp]

Are there other known uses for the Rotax other than aircraft?

I read somewhere that the Rotax 582 can be used on water scooters as well, but the 912 is pretty much good only for ultralighs, not much else.
Are there any more information about this vile act?

[Martin_123]

Originally Posted by ArthurG

All the evidence points to these being used in Eastern European kit-built aircraft. The thing that amazes me is that the thieves target low-houred versions, so the selling network must have built up a market reputation which they are trying to maintain. It makes me wonder if they are somehow given new identities and sold as legitimate engines to unknowing customers.

can I ask, what evidence are you referring to and what types/producers are involved?

It makes me wonder why UK customs/border guards allow stolen stuff to leave the country so easily.. Just couple of weeks ago I read an article where a couple of stolen UK luxury cars were seized in Latvia on border with Russia - they've made it all across Europe until some border guard noticed that the UK licence plates were obvious fakes.. and it happens all the time.. surely you see multi-grand engine's leaving the country, someone should check if the paperwork is in order?

[Rod1]

Most of the Rotax 912X engines in the UK may be in permit aircraft but selling to a another UK user without changing the identity of the engine would be next to impossible – it would be flagged up at the next permit renewal. Scuttlebutt is some are going into military UAV 's for use in E Europe.

Rod1

[Geriaviator]

a couple of stolen UK luxury cars were seized in Latvia on border with Russia

That's nothing, hundreds of them are stolen to order for Africa. Watch any docks video and wonder how one could begin to search thousands of containers. Contractors' plant is so popular that most big machines contain a tracking device -- which is how 30t diggers have been seized on the quayside. My sympathies to the victims of this theft.

[750XL]

These will undoubtedly have been stolen my organised gangs in Eastern Europe, Albania etc. Within a few hours I'd imagine they were well on their way to continental Europe never to be seen again