OK, here's the situation.

I have an Aeroworks Checkmate that is as far as I can take it until I get a muffler on it. Once I have that I can balance it then mount the batteries wherever they need to go and then the switches so they're convenient and reach the batteries, receiver and optical ignition switch.

The problem is that the Jtec muffler designed for the Checkmate is no longer being made because it had a design defect and it was breaking. So people were sending them in and production was stopped.

Right now there isn't a muffler that fits as far as I can tell. Aeroworks is trying to get something working but they don't have anything yet.

The engine is the side exhaust, by the way.

I bought a standard Pitts muffler that I was told would fit but I'd have to put holes in the bottom of the cowl for the outlets. It doesn't fit that way though. The can portion of the muffler interferes with the cowl so that I'd have to cut away about half the bottom of the cowl to get the cowl on and off.

I can use the stock muffler if I cut off most of the outlet and cut an exit hole in the cowl. It won't be pretty but it won't be as ugly as what I'd have to do to get a Pitts muffler to fit. The reason I don't do that is I'm told the stock muffler is pretty much worthless and doesn't meet noise requirements at a lot of fields.

So does anyone have any genius ideas for me? I can fly the maiden in a matter of days once I have a muffler that fits.