RE: Maybe if I post this I'll be shamed into finishing it..
Okay - progess. Finally. Unbelievably. It's been a busy summer and fall.. and diddly progress on toys. Big phase of dormancy in the workshop. Blah.
But.. in the last few days I've got the servos in, ailerons are fitted and pinned, tank assembly done and figured out how to secure it, and discovered I need 3/4" 2-56 mounting bolts (nice thick firewall) and don't have any. Or T-nuts. "L"HS time.. can't get that in town.
But the main thing is I bench ran the Profi .061 tonight! Since I have virtually no exposure to current 1/2A competition activity, this was an eye opener. Holy #@%&! This thing is powerful.. [:-]
To date the VA .049 is the hottest 1/2A small engine I have ever run. I had just finished up the bladder tube assembly and pressure tested it (used a small plastic screw top parts container from Lee Valley Tools with the lid silicone taped on to seal, very light). So it seemed there was no reason not to bolt it down and run it. I used one of Larry Driskill's combat props, this is the one with the two carbon rovings in the glass/epoxy, something like 4.8 x 2.75 or somewhere around there.. I should know but I forget. Anyhow, on Sig Champion 25%, I ran it a bit rough and rich for 30 seconds, with a few little pinches. On the second run I saw 33,700 while still on the rich side. Snotty little devil indeed.
I'm cycling the flight battery now, a 300mAh NiMH, and it that works out I'm pretty much there. Just gotta paint the hatches and make attachements, then fit the Rx and battery.. so this thing might fly any day now.