zackesch

Hi all. Now that I have time to start do dedicate to this hobby, I figure its time to build a proper trainer. Ive always loved the hobby, but with school, time was not on my side. Now that I graduated college with my degree in Mechanical Design and Drafting, and engaged, I can start relaxing and put time into my hobby.

The kit im looking at is the CG Eagle II. I am a supporter of OS engines but for this situation, I dont feel quite comfortable spending 150 for the 46 AX when this is my trainer. So, I was wondering how the TT pro 40 and 46 compare to OS. How do the evolution motors fall into the mix? Mainly im looking at the TT Pro 40 and 46. Same goes with the Evolution line, their new 40NX or the 46NX.

ArcticCatRider

My Feedback: (6)

I don't have any experience with Evolution, but Thunder Tigers are dedent enough motors. I do think the OS engines are better, and have better longevity.

Don't forget about Super Tigre, and also don't forget you're not going to fly the trainer forever. The 46 AX would really kick ass in a 4 star, a Midstar, Stik, or any other 2nd plane you'll eventually want.

frenchie79

Carefull-engines are subject to opinion, so heres mine-OS is first choice, the 40 and 46 Pros are fine also, forget the other cheaper engines. Besides your spending all that time building a plane (give it a good Heart). You got a great degree and Job? you can afford it.
I don't see were you will have any time with that new Bride to be though?

zackesch

Sadly, I do not have a job in my field yet, and my bride to be lives 2 hours north of milwaukee in Green Bay working on her degree. The wedding isnt until the winter of 2012. Thats where my time comes from. We see each other about every other weekend depending on her schedule.

oldvet70

My Feedback: (10)

Have you considered an O.S. 46LA ?  It will fly the plane quite nicely.

zackesch

I have, but I feel more comfortable with a double bearing engine due to the less resistance and less to wear.

DenverJayhawk

If you are just learning, do your self a favor and buy an OS engine. You can find a 46ax for cheap on craigs or ebay.

When learning, there is nothing more frustrating than dorking with a stupid engine that you can't get tuned correctly and then dealing with deadsticks.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

I flew nothing but the OS LA .46s in Fun Fly competition and had never had one wear out on me, the .40LAs in trainers yes but not the .46s. Great running and easy to tune. I'm also a big fan of the PRO series .46 engines. The EVOs were pretty much a dud. I haven't tried any of the SK line of engines other then there .91 but like them better then OS. I can't say how there smaller engines are, I just have nothing in the 40 size to use one on.
I feel Super Tigre and Magnum are a waste of time and money, others love them.
OS is the better choice but if money is a problem it's hard to beat there LA series of engines for trainers. They work great in most any 40 size plane too. Not 3-D power but a good all around engine.

dash008

My Feedback: (1)

I second the 46 LA. It will save you a lot of money over the AX and would be more appropriate for a trainer. 46 ax is overkill in a trainer in my opinion. Don't worry about the bushings. These LA engines are easy to start, run great and last forever. I dare you to try to wear one out! Set the needle valve in the spring and you won't have to mess with it the rest of the season.

Augie11

Keep in mind your engine will probably outlive your trainer by a LOT. The $$$ spent on a .46AX will go a long way and you could be still using it 15 years down the road.

oldvet70

My Feedback: (10)

This is a good way to look at it. You also might consider that many an engine on a trainer ended as a smoking hole in the ground so sometimes less is more.

skypiratescotty

My Feedback: (32)

my first engine was an OS 40LA, i bought it cuz it was blue, and it lasted for years until i bought a TT PRO 46 and the LA40 just sits on the wall. I only use TT PRO'S now. Had 46, 61, and 91. Absolutely love em!

tacx

My Feedback: (1)

ZACKESCH, Get done what you can before "2012", cause thats when the "honey-do-list" comes into play. LOL

rambler53

My Feedback: (494)

Everyone has an opinion. Here's mine.
Skip the Chinese stuff including the Evo. I've owned several hundred engines and I never really believed the cheaper price/quality was ever worth the trade off. I have never spent more than $105 for a new 46AX. I've owned over 30 of them. Send me a PM and I'll give you the same opportunity.

I do not like airbleed carbs, bushing engines, weak performance, which is what an LA is. If you really want one, their resale value is nothing, so get a used one for $30.

I'd stick with ball bearing engines and considered buying second hand when you're on a budget.
RCU has a dependable and affordable classified section that I have traded ver 400 items over the years and loved every minute of it. Keeps the hobby fresh as day one that way. You can always get a new engine, privately owned, for a fraction of what a store charges. Glow is no longer dominant, and the market value has dropped nicely. Thunder Tiger Pro is a popular choice. But if you like OS, it's hard to beat it for the application you're using it for, and the tuning quality makes them a first choice by many beginners and seasoned guys alike.

The older OS engines are one of my favorites to use. For $60-70 you can get a fresh OS SF 40 or 46 that's one of the nicest running OS engines ever made.

oldtyme

I know that engines get a lot of opinions voiced here and it's hard to pick if you are new because opinions are like a**-holes....everyone's got one. If you are teaming up with a club in your area you might get some opinions there. I don't know of one bad opinion I've read in this thread yet..........well maybe one. I'll go along with OS being top choice. I've flown mostly OS since 1979 and I've had a few....and still have a couple....of the LA series and they are good. I have a pair on a twin that I fly and have never had trouble. I still have one SuperTigre 75 in a warbird that I have and it is still ticking and a friend of mine finally sold a ST90 because he just couldn't wear it out. All of that being said, I've recently bought a couple of Magnum engines because they are priced right (a .46 costs $79.99) and a lot of people that I fly with just love them. I also have a friend that I met here on RCU that bought a couple of Magnums used and he swears that they just fly and fly and fly with absolutely no trouble. I'm not looking for bragging rights but the best bang for the buck and that's why I'm trying Magnums and I understand that their customer service is just great. Like all things........if you have a bad experience with something........even a top dollar item.......it tends to cloud your objective ability. Like I said early on.......I've flown mostly OS but I'm trying something different and hopefully it will prove to be a good choice. Whatever you decide.....let us know and keep us posted on your build.......OH the next big round of opinions will be what radio you should go with............LOOK OUT!!!!

rambler53

My Feedback: (494)

I like Super Tigre's too, but don't recommend them to beginners.
More Magnum opinions from this link
http://search.rcuniverse.com/search....archwhere=both
What you'll learn is each manufacturer's design calls for different set ups. OS can run well with 10-15% nitro content, but not Rossi, Webra, Picco, Super Tigre, and others with more compression. Some say synthetic oil and brand Y glow plug is needed for such and such an engine to not deadstick. Some say you got to chase backplate and carb leak issues, even with some OS.

Beginners have a lot of hurdles to jump. Why add to it with a learning curve on poor/inconsistent quality control in a low dollar engine?
You got to crunch the overall data to get an idea of what really works keeping perspective of what a beginner faces at the trainer plane level. A simple and fast cursory search on this forum alone, for magnum problems, are listed on over 60 pages containing 30 links per page.
Do a OS peel search, lots of good and bad across the board I guess.

yellerchamp

My Feedback: (42)

my first trainer was a goldberg eagel with a la 40 10x6 prop flew the covering off it and recovered her and sold her to a new member plane transmitter and motor rtf for a 100 bucks, the last time I saw him he was still flying the plane, that thing would just float in for some of the prettiest landings..

opjose

The Evolution .40-46's are GREAT engines for the price and will produce far more power than the equivalent sized LA engines.

They hold up very well and once dialed in, they tend to be extremely reliable. They'll outlast the OS LA's too.


IMHO the downside to the Evolution deals with the limiters ( something you should adjust or remove ) and getting them dialed in initially.

The OS line beats the Evolutions in spades on this one.

However if you have a bit of patience and preferably help, there is no reason to avoid them. You'll get more power, longevity and value over the equivalent LA's.... Take this from someone who has been running both for years.

Many of our club members have removed the .455 PTS Evolutions from their trainers and placed them into other .40 - .50 sized planes, after years of use in their trainers.... ( I just transferred one to a H9 Twist .40 btw... ).

zackesch

Thank you all for the replys. I was in an area where i had no internet connection on my phone. I will look more into the LA 40. My question about engines is how much more power is there from a bushing to a bearing engine, and will it lead to a longer flight?

oldvet70

My Feedback: (10)

OS no longer makes a 40LA which is why I mentioned the OS 46LA. You will not have much difference in flight times with BB or Bushed, at least not in my experience.There is more difference in fuel consumption between different brands of engines then there is between Bushed or BB. As to power differences well again that will very between brands.All the major brands have their own websites and here on RCU you can compare engines.Go to User Reviews and click on compare engines. That will provide a wealth of information.

opjose

There is MUCH MORE power with the Evolution .46 than there is with the LA46.

An O.S. LA 46 is about the equivalane of a .32-.36 sized AX type engine.

I made the mistake of putting in an O.S. LA .46 into a .40 sized Spacewalker II. I found the plane to be GROSSLY underpowered with that engine, no matter the prop I selected.

I replaced the engine with an O.S. AX .46 which transformed the plane completely ( thought it still needed a bit more power IMHO ).

The OS LA 46 ended up ( where it still resides now, many years later ) in a MegaTech .30 size Extra 300, where it is a perfectly sized engine for this 3.0lb plane. It does very well there.

The Evolution .46 produces just about the same amount of power as an O.S. .46 AX, so both are considerably more powerful than the LA.


To get the same amount of power in the LA series you'll need to move up to the .60 sized engine.

BTW: Dual bearing engines are easier to clean out than bushing engines.

There is a slight gap between the ball bearings which lets you flush out debris with a bit of glow fuel or WD40.

Get dirt or debris in a bushing, and it's time for a new bushing, requiring a rebuild.... in spite of this the LA's do hold up very well over time, but there is no post crash advantage to the design IMHO.

mike109

G'day

My vote would go to the OS LA 46 too for several reasons.

1. Trainers tend to have tough lives and a bushed engine will survive being banged into the ground better than a ball raced engine. A bit of a cleanup and they are ready to go again.

2. The LA series are the latest in a range of plain bearing (bushed) engines that OS has been making since the 1940s. They are direct descendants of the MAX engines that were so popular in the 1950s and 60s. OS really knows how to build a quality simple engine.

3. OS's simple air bleed carby is about as good as a simple carby gets. They really are "set and forget" devices.

4. They are cheaper.

If you run it slightly rich and use a fuel with castor oil in it (the more the merrier) it will last for ages. And it does not need more than 10% nitro either which makes your fuel cheaper.

I had an LA 46 in a World Models Skyraider Mach 1 some years ago. I rarely got to fly it because the club president loved to borrow it to give newcomers a fly. I later put the engine in to a World Models Super Stunts (Stick) and it was great there too.

oldvet70

My Feedback: (10)

I also have several Evolution 46's and they are not even close in power to an OS 65LA. They won't swing as big a prop as the 65 nor can they swing that bigger prop as fast as the LA. The OP appears to be looking for an economical Engine to fly a trainer. So unless he is building something other than a 40 size trainer all he needs is a OS 46LA. It is inexpensive, simple to use, will outlast his trainer unless it is destroyed in a crash and if it is he is not out as much money and can start again since he saved money on this first engine.

zackesch

I do plan to build other 40 sized aircraft, but I would like to keep the trainer ready to use so i can can take my fiance, and other family members up. I figure its always good to keep a trainer on hand ready to go. You never know when you may need it.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

The power difference between an LA .46 and the AX .46 is enough to notice. The AX will outlast an LA and they are worth rebuilding if the time comes, at least new bearings. I think of the LAs as throw away engines when the time comes but that a lot of flights.
As Mark mentioned a ways up in the thread, engine selection is one of those things called pilots choice. Some people like different engines a lot more then others. If you plan on flying for a while spend the money now on the AX. It's hard to go wrong when you buy the best. I put one student into the .55 AX and it has been flying a couple of 60 size ARFs for two years, it doesn't haul the planes as well as a good .60 engine but it works in both 40 and 60 size planes. Just more food for thought.