Hi All:

Most of you that know me know that I'm a pretty cautious person. I don't bring new products to market, especially products made by someone else, without a lot of testing and observation.

With engines in particular, there are many factors that dictate whether an engine will be a good product. We don't sell most engines, really only the DA line now. In every other case I have found problems that would make most people start muttering to themselves "why did I ever buy that thing?”. Difficulty with installation, poor quality, poor power, too heavy, no exhaust options, dead sticks, hard starting, manufacturing or design defects, all of these potential problems weigh heavy when one is deciding if selling a particular engine is a good idea. After all, my customers trust me to have evaluated and approved a product before I sell it and my image depends on doing a good job.

I’ve tested a dozen different engine from China and Brazil. Until now none of them was something that I though I could sell and be proud of.

I have imported a quantity of the 3mm 53 singles from China. We have two of them flying, one of them is on my mid-KAP and one is on a customer’s 84” Edge V2. I think this one is going to work out to be a product that people will accept and even prefer.

These engines are easy to install, powerful, reliable, smooth, light, and they come with a very nice muffler. They look to be patterned after the 3w line, but there is nothing really equivalent in the 3w product line. It’s a reed valve side carb engine, sort of like a 3w 106 that has been turned on its side and one cylinder removed. Also the exhaust port is different from a 3W, it’s not angled so mounting a muffler is much simpler. So I feel I can safely say it’s not just a clone of a 3w engine, they have made some major improvements in the design.

The engine weighs exactly 8 ounces more than a DA-50. The muffler is very light and as quiet as a wraparound Pitts on a DA-50, if you compare the two that way the weights are almost the same.

Power is excellent. We have measured 6400 rpm on a Mejzlik 23-10 following a long flight, so the engine was good and hot. The other one was measured also about 6400 with a 23-10 bunny prop which loads the engine down more. Operation was very clean, as good as anything else that I have used.

I don’t expect this engine to replace the DA-50. DA has such great support and there is such a wide selection of exhausts, it’s just a great engine. But some guys want something less expensive but don’t want junk, they actually want to fly their planes. The 3mm 53 will fill that void.

I’m selling the first 10 pieces for $350, including the muffler and CDI ignition. After that the price will rise to $439.
They should be available this week. They come with a 90 day warranty (repair or replace my choice) and a 14 day “return for any reason” guarantee. I will supply them with a gasket set also, so that if for some reason you need to disassemble the engine you can put it back together. I am keeping a stock of spare parts including ignitions and carburetors.

If this works out as I hope I will have a service facility set up and the warranty period will be extended as we get more experience with the engines.

If you are interested in participating in this trial call me at 817-430-0107. But not Sunday night.

TF