Back in 2007, I bought two Tower .75 engines for $99.99 each. I broke both in on my test bench and both ran very well. Later that year, Flaps and I built a Bill Evans' Pole Star flying wing. I forget what size engine it was designed for, but I used one of the .75s since I wanted some speed. With an 11-8 prop or a 12-7, the Tower would honk. The Pole Star was a pretty fast airplane. I still fly it every once in a while to this day.

The other Tower .75 got tossed in my engine drawer where a lot of used engines go. I didn't want another speed plane and I was using .46 sized planes with an OS .55 in them by what date I don't remember.

I love Sticks and had a Ultra Stick 60 powered by an SK .91 and later a Magnum .91 4-stroke. When flying buddy wanted to use the Mag .91 for his scale Douglas AD-2 Skyraider, I agreed to lend it to him. With the Mag .91 gone and the SK .91 in a Golden Era 60 build from MA plans, I needed an engine if I wanted to keep flying the Stick. Son-of-a-gun, in the drawer was a 4-year old Tower .75. I figured it wouldn't make enough power, but I installed it any way. Then I couldn't find a 13" prop for sport flying, so I used the 14-6 black Master Airscrew that was on the .91 just to check it out.

The engine cranked up easily and I gave it a tune, then taxied out and hit the power for takeoff. Right about that time, just a few feet above the runway, I got this wild hair to see if the engine made any power. Not expecting much, I yanked in some up elevator to square the corner to vertical. I certainly didn't expect an out-of-sight vertical climb. I mean, that's a big prop for an engine that is known as a high turning engine. I finally broke off the vertical climb, but not because I had to, the plane was getting hard to see. I spun down and flew out the flight.

Needless to say, I was pleased, astonished, elated at the performance of the lowly, Chinese Tower brand engine. It's a brute at a discount store price. No wonder they are no longer available. The OS .75AX is $229.99. It would have to be to be a lot better than the Tower to demand that price. I guess the same thing happened to its sister engine, the GMS .76. I'm sure glad I bought my two.