Mark Kunz.

Ski flying and ice fishing, it doesn't get any better than that. Sometimes 5 months of winter just isn't enough. My Avid has the Rotax 503 DCDI installed in it with around 335 hrs. on the engine and airframe. I have always kicked the idea around of changing to a 582 or maybe even a 4-stroke, but is it worth all of the expense? I don't know. For the type of flying I do I think the 503 does just fine. Sometimes in the summer you have to make sure you don't load it to heavy, but in cool weather it does just fine.
When I built my airplane I made sure I kept it light and simple. No electrical system, recoil start, sling seat, no upholstery, basic instruments, ect. When the project was finished the empty weight came in around 460lbs. I think this is the key to a good flying airplane. Light and simple. I have been in and out of places that would make most guys bottom side pucker real tight. As far as I am concerned I think the Avid's were designed to be flown off of frozen lakes and grass pastures.
As of right now think I have fixed one of my only complaints with my Avid. When Landing on tar runways and taxing I was have trouble with my full swivel Maule tail wheel releasing to soon. Tried adjusting it, but didn't seem to do any good.When it releases you know what that means, you swap ends real fast. When I was at Oshkosh last summer I took a close look at the Matco tail wheel. I really liked how they worked so I ordered one this winter and installed it. Right now I am doing mostly ski flying, but I did go to our airport and landed and did a bunch of taxi tests. The new tail wheel seemed to work great. More time on pavement will tell if it was worth the change.
When I have my tach set at 5900rpm my ground speed is about 70mphr. Not real fast but it does the job. I have the Artic Sparrow mixture control system installed in my carbs. This is the only way to go. No more guessing where the clips should be. You just adjust it while you are flying to get the egts you want.
Again the Avid is a Great Airplane,
Mark