RE: Welcome to Club SAITO !
What sort of fields do you guys fly on. There was a scale do on last w/end at a place called Rosewood in SE QLD attended by a number of POMs and Yanks who to all acounts were "impressed" with the grass field and its preparation. Jets operated off it as did all other types of a/c (models that is).
I guess it you are operating off concrete (hard formed) strips the problem of bent crankshafts might be there, I very rarely operate of other than hard formed grass. The strips I operate off are formed with rolled termite mounds or similar with grass laid on topsoil over the top. Hard and as good as concrete for load bearing.
I was just talking to my flying mate (southern one) who has bee flying with Saitos for some 30 years and he has never bent a crank shaft either. Guess you guys had better more here as an economy measue, after all we have cheaper fuel and our fields are kinder on engines (it would appear)