I like to use old engines and people accuse me of being cheap but from my point of view, if I have them around and don’t use them, they would just collect dust. About a month ago, I took a new (from about 1972) Veco .61 out of the box and bolted it to a GP 58”/.46 size Extra. It replaced an old, lightly used HP 61 (4-bolt) and after about a gallon of 10% fuel, the Veco is faster and revs higher than the HP. I’m now using 15% nitro.

Vertical performance is very good and the model will lift off on it’s own after a 10-15 foot run. I’ve tried an APC 12x6 and APC 11x7-and I have an 11x8 APC on order. The 11x7 revs higher but the 12x6 is faster in the air so I can’t see how a 12x6 prop bogs this engine down–it’s turning 12k on the ground. I’m an APC snob but after reading this thread, I’ll try some wood props that I have (11x 7, 7-/12, 7-3/4 and 12x6 Rev-Ups). I might even have the 12x7.5 MAS.

The low-end setting on the Perry carb is very critical but after finding the right spot, there’s no hesitation to full throttle The Veco engine has become very reliable and I like the throaty sound of the flow-through muffler. Sure it’s a little loud but the sound is more like a Pitts and not a annoying as most sport mufflers. It’s been said that the new .46 engines offer about the same performance as the old .61s and I believe this is true to a point but I’m pretty familiar with them and none of the .46 powered sport planes at our field have smoked the Veco and this one will pull away from most of them. Not bad for an antique.