G'day

I do it backwards. First I find an engine I like, buy it and then look for something to put it in. First and foremost I like engines. Planes are things to get engines into the air. Well, that's my way of doing it.

Initially when I was learning to fly I just tried to stay ahead of the crashes. In those days it was all kit or plan building, but when I bought my second four stoke (OS 48 Surpass), I wanted to hear it in the air ASAP so I bought a Thunder Tiger Trainer 40 (which turned out to be a great choice) and had the Surpass in the air in a couple of weeks. The combination impressed many people who would never have thought of putting a four stroke in a trainer.

More recently I wanted to try a Laser engine. I bought a 100 and then looked for something to put it in. It ended up in a Black Horse (I think) 60 size Decathlon. The result is great but abit on the overpowered side. At quarter throttle it sounds amazing. All you can hear is airframe and prop noise. It actually sounds surprisingly real.

So that's how I do it. Buy an interesting engine then look for a mount for it.