Hi Guys,
This has been very interesting bit of reading. As a long time YS user, though not the big stuff lately (the largest YS I currently run is the 115), it seems that they have become progressively more complex. When they run great a YS is awesome, but when things go awry and it won't run properly, they can be difficult to diagnose and repair. Considering that the number of YS users flying pattern has shrunk significantly over the past several years (electric power is pretty easy to use) shouldn't YS consider doing a 'Hanno' and produce a much simpler engine with same power and throttle capabilities (the Magic to Calypso transformation). Maybe reduce the price and attract more users. I fear that pattern will become completely electric in the near future.
Back when the YS 120AC pretty much was the only engine to run in pattern (25 years ago or so) the belief then was that you needed 3 engines: one in the airplane; one ready to go in the airplane; and one being rebuilt. I know of pilots who had 1,000 flights on their AC with little or no maintenance, but they were running 15% nitro. As the nitro % went up; so did the maintenance requirements.
I think YS could come up with a new design, but is there enough motivation (engine sales)?