ORIGINAL: NM2K
ORIGINAL: flyingtheoldones
Is there a reason why I dont see many of these in the old pattern planes? I remember they had a reputation for being really powerful.
DM
My guess would be a poor distribution system. You saw a lot more Webra engines being used in pattern when Tower Hobbies was selling them. Then hardly any when Tower stopped selling them. I suppose it was the same thing. That or they charged too much for them. I didn't begin seeing OPS engines until the long stroke craze was in full swing.
Ed Cregger
Distribution has a lot to do with how popular an item becomes. A large distributer like Great Planes (Tower Hobbies) can really make a line popular with their Advertising and Buying Power. OPS were distributed back then by a small entity as were most pattern related products. Pattern was and is still a specialized segment of the Hobby. As you got more involved and you looked for more specialized equipment the Large Distributors were not the ones that would be carrying these items unless the line also offered other products for their larger markets within the Hobby.
Some of these small distributers then and now only buy 3 or 4 times a year after they have accumulated enough Back orders to place an order with the manufacturer, basically never having anything left on hand after the shipments arrived, this has a lot to do with why some motors might have not been as popular as others. “If you can’t get them when you need them you look for another brand to power your new Ship”
Rests assured they were and still are powerful motors and can hold their own as so many speed records are held by OPS engines. For pattern though it’s not just about the ultimate power but the consistency and durability in that power. I’m a little Bias when it comes to the OPS, Rossi, and Picco’s just because that was what I had the best luck with durability and consistency when running motors harder than they should be. “Just my 2 cents Guys’’