Challenger 582 Installation Instructions

Step by Step Instructions to Install the Rotax 582 in a Challenger

The Rotax 582 gives the Challenger 2 Ultralight 30% more power than the Rotax 503. This makes a Challenger on floats climb like it doesn’t have floats on. The aircraft performance is improved remarkably on hot and humid summer days. And to top it all off, the 582 even uses less fuel!

Although it costs considerably more than the 503, the improved performance makes the 582 the engine of choice for many builders of new Challengers.

The 582 installation is, however, more complicated than that for the 503. The Rotax 582 is liquid cooled and requires the installation of a separate air cooled heat exchanger. The liquid cooling hoses on the standard Rotax 582 must be modified to suit the inverted installation used on the Challenger. An additional lever to control the amount of air flow to the radiator must be installed in the Challenger cockpit. If the pilot wants to fly in the winter time, a factory approved heater adds even more complexity to the engine assembly.

However, the instructions included with the 582 option can be confusing and challenging for a first time builder. The photos enclosed with the cooling system instructions include those for a non-Challenger installation. The radiator kit has been revised but the instructions have not. Some parts enclosed need to be cut down to suit the new revision. Finally, because the standard Challenger installation is the 503, the factory instructions reflect that and some key changes needed for the 582 can be missed.

Here at Lake Aviation, we have installed the Rotax 582 into Challenger Ultralights both with the factory heater unit and without the heater unit. We carefully recorded each step in the process and took plenty of meaningful pictures along the way. We made sure that our instructions would be clear and understandable to even a novice builder.

These illustrated step by step instructions are available to Challenger builders at the modest cost of $37.00 plus applicable taxes. The instructions are sent to you via email in PDF format. The approximately 100 full colour illustrations are emailed in jpeg format and average 150K (640 x 480) each in size for clarity.

So you won’t have to look like this:

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