Ross .61
CaptKAOS,
My dad is a long time modeler (See his Brown B-2 Racer on the cover of the Feb '03 RC Modeler Magazine) and he designed the artwork and handled advertising for Ross Engines back in the '70s. I spent many days as a child in the Northfield machine shop watching Ross manufacture and test engines. The multi-cylinder engines were the brain children of Lou Ross. The .61 single was a collaboration between Lour Ross and Sal Battaglia (sp?) who was a competitive pattern flyer at that time. The threaded end of the shaft on the early .61 tended to bend or break in a crash. The latter engines had a replaceable threaded bolt or shaft that screwed into the end of the crankshaft. That solved the problem, but the negative rumors continued to circulate. My dad has an extensive collection of Ross engines (singles & multi-es) and still uses his singles. Some of his multi-es are too valuable to fly. As a matter of fact, he used a Ross .61 (not Rossi as the article states) in his "proof of concept" Brown B-2 Racer. Don't be afraid to use yours. It's a great engine even today. I wish I had one!