Hi everyone,

Good news. I flew the hell outta the OS65/Escapade on Saturday and Sunday and it flew great. The best it's ever run. I believe the problem was the HS needle extension. The HS needle turns with much less resistance with that extension and the air blows back onto that needle causing it to rotate counterclockwise thus leaning out the mixture. Earlier in this thread I explained that during the first 3-4 flights I did not experience this problem and this now makes sense because I did not have the extension installed the day I maidened the plane. The following weekend is when I started using the extension. Prior to my first flight I removed the needle extension, disassembled the carb and HS needle (both were clean as a whistle), and inspected all of the fuel lines but did not replace them as they looked fine. I didn't want to try all of the suggestions at once because I really wanted to pinpoint the problem.

Then I asked myself if the HS needle is being leaned out due to airflow why didn't the HS needle completely close down and the engine not quit every time? I mentioned I only had one dead stick and I think the answer is that the HS needle leaned out gradually causing the engine to overheat and loose power. When this loss of power occurred the airflow decreased and no longer had the force to turn the HS needle. That is my educated guess anyway.

It's amazing that the airflow generated enough power to turn this needle with the extension. Prior to creating this thread I scoured the forums and other flyers for answers but nothing worked. This is RCU at it's best. I feel like I just got done with a semester of nitro engine trouble shooting 101. I'll probably never have to start another thread asking how to solve overheating problems on a glow engine. I want to thank everyone who replied, all of the posts were relevant and sincere. I'm happy we solved this sooner than later due to the fact that in Hawaii we only have one more weekend to fly before Obama arrives then we RC flyers are grounded for three weeks.

Thanks again everyone, mission accomplished.