I found out from the detective working the case on my Kolbra theft, that there
is a demand for 912 engines in the gulf states for uses on airboats. The 912 is
an expensive engine and thieves know if they can get their hands on one, it's
worth money and not the money you paid for it. They can be sold for a few
hundred to a few thousand dollars.
My Kolbra 912 was vulnerable because it was easy to remove. Four bolts was all
it took to take the engine, oil cooler, radiator, exhaust, engine mount, and
prop. Any 912 that is outside of a cowling is an easy take. Trike, PPC, and Kolb owners
should be most concerned because of the engines being out in the open.
Remember, going to fly-in's is fun, but when you do this, you are advertising
your aircraft to those who want to steal your engine. On top of that, making YouTube videos, as I did, shows the thieves where you keep your machine so they can plan how to take it.
Until the criminals who took my engine and avionics are caught, this will
continue. If they can break into a modern locked hanger, as they did with my
theft, they can easily snip a padlock to take your engine and whatever they can
get their hands on during their visit.
These thieves not only affected my flying, but my wife's flying too. This put
the Light Sport flying community on edge as these people are still at large and I
suspect they will strike again. They are terrorists in the flying
community for what they have done.
My wife Laurie and I were very much into promoting Light Sport aviation and we would attend as many fly-in's as possible. Most of the people we talked to were honest with no intentions of being deviant. We may have talked to the people that did this. I've always have been very honest and open with people, but this theft has changed my attitude that I need to be more protective of my aircraft.
In the words of a friend of mine: "Mean people suck".
Ralph Burlingame