RJM,
There are more issues with overpowering a plane than just not going to full throttle. One issue, among many, is dealing with the extra weight of a bigger motor. The extra weight puts stresses on the airframe that it wasn't designed to handle. In an ARF this isn't good because your hands are tied when it comes to beefing up the airframe to handle it. If it's a kit build you can beef up the airframe as you build, as long as the builder knows what they are doing, but that adds more weight to the plane which increases the wing loading of the plane which changes the way the plane flies. Another issue you have to deal with is the ground clearance issue. A bigger motor needs a bigger prop, so you then run into having enough ground clearence to put that bigger prop on. Some planes you can put larger wheels or taller landing gear on, but then again you are dealing with the same weight issues. More weight again means higher wing loading. It's kind of a Catch-22 situation when you start down this road.

I understand why people that fly 3-D have huge engines in their planes, but for the rest of the pilots out there overpowering a plane isn't a good idea IMHO. Overpowering a plane makes of a less talented pilot in my mind. As XTOL said above, the planes need to flown on the wing and not on the power of the engine in the plane. The current trend of stuffing the biggest motor you can find into a plane is one that I just don't agree with. When I am planning a plane I always look at what the manufacturer says for the engine sizes and I will usually put in the largest motor that the manufacturer recommends. In almost 10 years of flying I have never had a plane/motor combo that I was disappointed with doing it that way.

Johan_nl,
The OS 61 FX is a powerhouse of a motor for it's size. It's one of my favorite motors. I think that you'll find that the combination of that motor and a Venture 60 to be a good choice. You should be very happy with it.

Ken