Catalinaflyer

An update on the OS, I was out again with it yesterday and this time I took my starter and series connector just in case. Again it was about 50 degrees and I was determined to start this thing without a starter. I choked it, flipped it about 4 or 5 times till I got a pop then opened the choke, 1 flip and it was running backwards just perfect. I hit the kill switch and this time I advanced the throttle to between 1/8th and 1/4 and flipped it again and it started perfect.

So, a little above idle on the stick seems to be where this motor likes to start, every time I tried starting it at an idle I got a reverse start or really bad kickback but just off idle and it fired on the first or second flip every single time. The motor runs like a top and flying along side an identical plane with a DLE 30 running identical props the OS just pulls away and on vertical it kept climbing long after the DLEran out. Fuel burn is about normal for this size gas engine, idle is good and slow but the transition after a long idle waiting on the runway to clear burbbles a little with a pretty light belch of smoke then it goes good. That can be adjusted out with some more tweeking on the needles but till it gets spring time and more normal weather, temps, barometric pressure and humidity I'm not going to tweek on it since accessing it in my particular installation requires the cowl to be removed.

Would I spend the money on another one - not a chance, Ihave a whole fleet of Hobby King/Chinese gas motors that run as good as any big name brand imported motor and I can get 3 to4 motors for the price of the OS. However with that being said I love the motor and I love my wife for getting it for me for Christmas and I will keep it for a long time. Iwould howeverrecommend this motor to anyone who doesn't have the experience or equipment to keep up with the Chinese motors. OShas good support and almost every hobby shop in the country will have the ability to getparts. Dollar for Dollar I would take this motor over a DLE any day. The DLE is $100 less expensive but by the time you spend $80+ for a pitts style muffler your in the same ballpark and the OS is far above the DLE in overall quality IMHO.

We spent the entire day flying yesterday and the only motors that we had to resort to starters on werea Super Tiger 90 2s anda Magnum 91 4s (which I have never been able to hand start since the day it was new and it now has well over 100 hours of run time on it.)